


In the System

by Krashlyn11



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2019-09-13 05:06:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 25,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16886172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krashlyn11/pseuds/Krashlyn11
Summary: The one where Ali and Ashlyn meet two sisters stuck in the foster care system and try to help them out.





	1. The Background Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first couple chapters are just background on the characters before we get into the story. It starts out kinda slow, but it will pick up.

Chapter One

As Grayson laid there on the bottom of her small twin size bunk bed...well it wasn’t really hers, all she owned was the backpack next to the bed…but as she laid there, she looked over to the bunk bed across from her where Charley was sound asleep. It was just after midnight when she woke up from a chilling nightmare. It always calmed her to watch the rise and fall of Charley’s chest as she slept peacefully. Charley was Grayson’s two-year-old little sister and after what happened 7 months ago, Charley was all she had left.

Seven months ago Grayson was coming home from a U-20 soccer camp when she got the call. She was at the airport with Amaya getting ready to go their separate ways and thinking about how successful this last camp was. She was proving that she fit in. With her being only 15 she felt like she always had to prove herself in soccer. The truth was that she was probably one of the most talented teens to make their way through the youth levels if not the most talented, but that never stopped her from trying to do her best to prove to her elders that she belonged there with them. But there at the airport she received the call that would change her life forever.

The call was from her aunt, she had told Grayson that her family had been in a car accident. They had been hit head on by a drunk driver. She froze and then she collapsed, Amaya held her up took the phone and finally understood what was happening. Grayson had so many questions, but she couldn't get anything to come out she couldn't speak it's like she was numb. After that Amaya had changed her flight and flew Grayson home.

During the flight Grayson looked over at Amaya, “Everything's going to be okay, right?” she asked.  
Amaya had never heard her sound so desperate, “I can't promise you everything is going to be alright, but I promise you then I will be here for you no matter what.” And with that Grayson lowered her head to Amaya's shoulder and wished for the life she used to have the life before she got the call that ruined everything.

When they landed at the airport Grayson’s uncle pick them up and took them back to her house all her aunts and uncles were there and that's when she found out her little sister Charley was the only one that survived.

“I WANNA KNOW” Grayson yelled as tears stream down her face. Amaya was next to her rubbing her back “I don't know if that's such a good idea, Gray?” “I want to know!” she screamed again, she looked directly at her aunt.

Her aunt finally told them, “The drunk driver hit them head on your mom and dad died on impact, your brothers died waiting for the ambulance, and your sister died later when she was being rushed into Surgery.” She said it almost robotically like that was the only way she could get through it.  
Gray sat down there were so many questions running through her mind.. Did it hurt? How long did they feel pain? Were they screaming for help waiting for the ambulance? Did they see bright lights? Did they go to heaven? Did she believe in heaven? How did Charley come out of it untouched, totally fine? What was going to happen to her and Charley now? She sat there for hours Amaya by her side. Her extra aunts and uncles finally leaving, which left her, Amaya, Charley and her Aunt Kathy who was staying with them for the night. What was going to happen now?

The next week flew by with all the Funeral arrangements and appearances Grayson had to make. But other than that, she stayed in bed only leaving it when she had to, and Maya stayed right next to her. After about a week and a half Amaya went home, she did have a life of her own, and although she would have rather been with Gray, they just had to deal with it. The truth was Amaya was there for her like no one else had ever been and no one else would ever be.

Amaya and Grayson had met at Gray’s first U-17 camp, she was 14 and Amaya was 15 although Amaya was a year older than her it was hard to deny their attraction and how well they got along. It was 2 long weeks of them laying in their beds every night just talking about life and their families and their hopes and dreams. They just found it easy to talk to one another about things they never would have even thought about voicing. That was until one night Gray was braiding Amaya's hair for their game the next day. Amaya was sitting in front of her, when she finished Amaya slowly turned around until they were face to face. She leaned in close and whispered “I have never met anyone in my life quite like you Grayson.” She leaned in that extra inch and pressed the softest most precious kiss on Grayson’s lips. 

The rest was history of course they lived in two different places but when Amaya had a few days off school in a row she would go and visit Grayson, and when Grayson had a few days off school in a row she would go and visit Amaya. Amaya and Grayson had two completely different lifes, and sometimes that was challenging to deal with but they didn't let that stop them. It took some extra communication but they were long distance so they liked to think communication was one of their strong suits. 

Grayson had grown up in a house where there were more than 12 people walking around and talking all at once every day. There were always brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and cousins and friends who have become family over the years crowding around in their small house. It was always crazy and loud and that’s the way she liked it, she found comfort in it. It was the only way she could think or do homework. She never understood those people who could only study in complete silence. 

Amaya, however, grew up in a $12.5 million dollar brownstone right outside of New York City. Her mom and dad were both actors. Her mom actually happened to be Mariska Hargitay the person who played Olivia Benson on Law and Order Special Victims Unit. Although Gray would have thought it was super cool to have parents who were famous and actors she also knew how Amaya had felt about it, and she saw the cons that came with it sometimes. Amaya loved her parents and loved their jobs and all the amazing people that it had brought into her life but sometimes she wish that they were just a normal family. That her parents had a little more time for her and her brothers. They spent a lot of time together as a family but it just always seemed like they had to work when the important moments came up. Gray’s family dying really shook them to their core and they realized no job would ever be more important than their family. 

They both had families that loved them but they just showed it in very different ways. Sometimes they felt that the huge difference in the way that they were raised was the reason they felt so perfect for each other. They weren't stupid they knew how everyone felt about how serious their relationship was, that they were too young and would never understand how to have an adult relationship at the ages of 15 and 16 but they just nodded their heads while minding their business knowing that one day their love would make it. And it wasn’t like they were rushing anything, they were happy just simply being a part of each other’s lives. What happen in the future happened in the future. 

The next few weeks after the funeral we're probably the slowest and the fastest weeks Grayson had ever lived. Long story short something was wrong with her parents will making it impossible for Grayson and Charley to live with one of their existing family members. They ended up going into the foster care system in Orlando, Florida. And that's where they had been for the last 7 months since that horrible phone call she got in the airport.

So there she laid in the bottom of her bunk bed looking across the room at Charley sleeping in hers. They share the room with two other kids that Grayson really hadn't taken her time to get to know. She knew how all this went, they had been in the system for 7 months. She knew that if it was a good home they'd only be there for a couple weeks before they were forced to leave and if it was a bad home maybe a month until something bad happened and they were moved again. She knew that if they were nice kids they would probably get attached and then have there heart broken when it was time for them to go, she learned her lesson so she knew to not even try. 

Still she laid there just watching Charley knowing that in about an hour or two Charley would come over stick herself in between Gray and the blanket she was sleeping with, cuddling tight and falling back asleep. Charlie did it to comfort herself but in reality it did more for Gray.


	2. On the Way to Camp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some more background info before camp gets started.

Chapter Two

Two weeks ago was when Grayson received the email informing her of her first call up to the full national team and she was ecstatic. Finally her life and her plans were falling into place and this was the first step to conquering her dreams. In the email it said that 25 people were invited into camp and she had every right to fight for her spot and suite up for the friendly with the other 17 women that were chosen. But she knew even watching from the sidelines would be a step in the right direction. 

She made her plans and got everything in order for the week and a half that she would be gone. There was no way in hell she was leaving Charley in that house so she had made plans to drop her off in New York at Amaya’s. Amaya and her family were going to keep Charley while Grayson was at camp. It’s not that the foster home that they were in was horrible, they got at least two meals a day and each had a bed to sleep in, but their foster dad had an awful temper so it was just easier to stay out of his way and do what he asked no matter how stupid the task.

Grayson had learned the hard way their first week there. There had been a miscommunication and a misunderstanding about how he liked the dishes washed that ended with several broken glasses, bruises and a cut up Grayson’s arm that required some stitches. 

That’s why she was nervous as she stood in front of her foster dad the day before her plane left to tell him that she and Charley were leaving for a week and a half. And after she told him, to say he went ballistic would be an understatement. Thankfully she learned to protect her face, the bruises on her body were easier to hide. Grayson leaving meant that there was going to be no one there to do her chores and that’s what set him off. As she laid there on the ground all she thought about was making sure she would be well enough to compete at camp. 

She had learned some tricks in her recent months in foster care. How to brace the hits so they didn’t hurt as bad, how to ice immediately afterward to help with pain and swelling, most important how to hide the bruises. Not all the homes were bad but the good ones didn’t last long and when you complained about a bad ones the next home just ended up worse. 

They went to bed that night and woke up before everyone else to leave for the airport so no one could try and stop them. It’s not like they had a lot of stuff, they each had a bag of their things and Poppy the bar/coffee shop owner downtown let Grayson store some of there other stuff there when they were in a place that didn’t feel safe enough to bring everything. 

Poppy gave Grayson some odds and ends jobs to help her earn some money after she came looking for a job but she didn’t have any openings. Grayson explained her situation and said that anything could help and that’s when Poppy started paying her under the table to do some crazy weird jobs that felt a little made up. Grayson and Charley would go there everyday to stay out of the house as long as possible. That’s how the shop turned into more of a home then any of the foster homes they were in. Poppy had grown up in the system and knew how hard it could be if you didn’t have an ally. Poppy had offered them some storage for the things they didn’t have room for but wanted to keep and Grayson had offered Poppy a way to make them both more money. 

No one really knew but Grayson quite literally had the voice of an angel and her Dad’s old guitar. She offered to play live music once a week. She got the tips and Poppy got more business. Live music in Orlando turned out to be a total money maker. 

That’s how she paid for the ride to the airport and her flight to drop Charley off in New York. 

When they got to New York Amaya and her mom, Mariska meant them right outside there gate. They were all going to go to lunch before Grayson continued on to camp. 

As Mariska and Amaya enveloped Charley and Grayson into a hug. Gray couldn’t hold her tears back any longer. She cried for how much she had missed them and she cried for how safe she felt in there arms. She hadn’t felt that safe since the last time she had been in their arms. 

It was a few months after Gray and Charley went into the system. They were in an incredibly awful house where their foster dad would try to get into Gray’s bed every night. One night he ended up forcefully holding her down and raping her. She didn’t know what to do. She felt completely broken, until she looked over in the bed next to her and saw her sister. She had to be strong for Charley. Gray was the only one looking out for her and she needed to be there for her. So she called the only person she could think of. She called Amaya, and it made sense, because of her mom’s job she had been around situations like this for a long time.

Her mom had created a foundation for survivors of sexual assault and violence. Together they helped talk Grayson through it and the next day they were on a plane to Florida. All of them together went and talked to Charley and Grayson’s case worker, Liz. It turned out that if Grayson was to press charges her file would be red flagged and Charley and her would be split up. To Grayson it wasn’t worth it. She was Charley’s person and she wasn’t about to let anything get in the way of taking care of her. Although Mariska and Amaya weren’t happy they understood. 

Amaya and her family tried to help Grayson and Charley as much as they could. They sent them money every now and then for there day to day needs, even though Grayson always tried to refuse it. They just told her to spend it on Charley’s needs if she didn’t feel right spending it on her own. But most of all they were there for the girls. To be the stand in family that they lost and to be their support system when they needed it. 

After a lunch with her loved ones she felt recharged and ready to play some soccer. She left Charley with Amaya and and bored her plane to Utah.


	3. The Start of Camp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I really hate writing and I know I’m awful at it but no one is writing new A team fanfics so I decided I would try. If you have anything you’d like to see in this make sure you comment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hate writing and I know I’m awful at it but no one is writing new A team fanfics so I decided I would try. If you have anything you’d like to see in this make sure you comment.

Chapter Three 

When she arrived in the hotel everything felt so big and she felt so small. This whole thing was so surreal. She walked through the lobby I’m checked into camp. She got her rooming assignments and her key and headed on up. 

When she got to the room she noticed her roommate wasn’t there yet so she laid her bag on the desk. She was rooming with Ashlyn Harris a well seasoned veteran, no way was she going to accidentally pick the bed the keeper preferred. She only waited about 10 minutes until her roommate showed up. 

When Ashlyn got her room assignment to say she was not happy was an understatement. She was one of the oldest people in the group and here she was having to room with the youngest. She was hoping for just a relaxing camp where she got to spend some time with Ali and play the game she loved. Now she was going to be annoyed I by this youngster invading her space and having no idea on how to act like a true professional. 

She stopped at the door before she walked in and took a breath. She thought to herself “Just try and be nice. And Lord please help me get through this week.” 

When Ashlyn walked through the door she saw the girl sitting at the desk in the room with her back turned. 

“Hi, I’m Ashlyn. You must be Grayson?” 

Grayson was startled by the noise of someone coming through the door. She tried to turn around and stand up at the same time and ended up stumbling but catching herself before she fell. “Hi, yeah that’s me. It’s nice to meet you.”

They both kinda just stared at each other, “So I guess we are roommates for the week? Ashlyn said. 

“Yeah, I...I guess so” Gray nodded her head. “I waited to pick a bed incase you had a preference?” 

“I usually take the one closest to the door, if that’s okay?” 

“Totally, I’m honestly just happy to be sleeping in an actual bed for the week” Grayson was mortified that she had actually said that out loud. Here she was trying to make a good impression and she unintentionally let it slip that she sometimes doesn’t have a bed to sleep in. All she wanted to do was fit in and this was definitely not a good start. 

Ashlyn chuckled a little at what she thought was a joke and they both started to unpack there things. 

Grayson didn’t really have that much to unpack so she decided to just to lay down for a little bit. She wanted so bad to ice her ribs again from the beating she had taken the day before but there was no way she could she could lie her way out of that one. Icing before camp even started that would be kind of a far stretch, even for her. So she just laid there and tried to relax. 

There was a knock on the door a little while later and Ashlyn went to get it. It was Ali she was asking Ashlyn if she was ready to go eat dinner. Because camp hadn’t started yet there was no team dinner for the night. It started tomorrow morning with a team breakfast. 

“Hey Ash, are you ready to go get dinner?” Ali asked. 

“Yeah, let me go grab my phone and then we can go.” She turned and saw Grayson laying on the bed and introduced her to Ali. “Grayson this is Ali, Ali this is Grayson. She’s the new kid this camp”

Ali and Grayson said hi to each other and Ali asked if she wanted to join them for dinner. All the athletes were expected to get dinner by themselves for tonight because nothing was prearranged. Ali thought that Grayson probably didn’t know anyone yet and she didn’t want to her to have to get dinner on her own. Grayson thanked her and politely declined saying that she was just going to say close to the hotel and try to get settled in a little bit more. 

With that, Ali and Ashlyn were off to get dinner and Grayson got busy making herself an ice bath. 

After her ice bath she felt so much better. She felt ready for the day tomorrow. She faceTimed Charley and Amaya to talk to them for a little bit and then she told them she loved them and said goodnight. 

—

Meanwhile at dinner Ali and Ash were talking about the new kid. 

“So what’s your first impression? Do you think she’ll make it?” Asked Ali. 

“I don’t know, she really didn’t say much and I sensed that she felt a little uncomfortable so I didn’t really ask a lot of questions.” Ash thought back to an hour ago in the room. 

Ali didn’t see Ash zone out so she continued the conversation “I mean in her game tape she looked pretty good with the youth teams but this will be kinda different, don’t you think?”

“Ash. Ash. Earth to Ashlyn.” Ali waves her hand in front of the keeper’s face. “Hello?”

“What? Sorry, what’d you say?” Ash asked. 

“Don’t worry about it.” They were interrupted by the waiter bring their food. Ali started to eat but noticed that Ashlyn looked like she was still thinking. “Where’s your head at?” 

“ I was just thinking back to when I was in the room with her earlier… I.. I don’t know what it is but I just get this vibe from her.” She said. 

This had Ali genuinely interested, she knew Ash had a really uncanny talent of reading people. “What kind of vibe?” She asked. 

“I don’t know, I just… she seemed kind of scared and not just because of camp, like she was just unsure and not really ready to trust somebody new...I guess she just reminds me a little of myself when I was younger.” 

“Well, maybe we should just make sure to check up on her throughout the week. It’s probably really intimidating being so much younger than everyone else.”

“Yeah, your probably right. We’ll make sure to check in.” And with that, they finished their dinner and decided to take a walk around the city. 

—

It was 8 o’clock when Grayson decided to go to bed that night. Ashlyn still wasn’t back from dinner but Gray knew that she needed rest to heal and to be ready for the grueling game of soccer the next day. She also knew that she would most likely be interrupting her sleep and waking up in the middle of the night with a nightmare like she did every night since the crash, so she didn’t really care if it was still early. She just hoped to god that her nightmare wouldn’t wake Ashlyn too.

—  
When Ashlyn and Ali made it back to the hotel it’s was about 8:30 ish. They walked to Ashlyn’s room just because it was closer to the elevators than Ali’s. When Ashlyn opened the door she noticed the lights were off and the room was dark. She thought that Grayson had left the room after all. 

She pulled Ali through the door and shut it. She pulled Ali close and whispered “Looks like we have this room to ourselves for a little while.” 

Ali closed the remaining distance and placed a tender kiss to the keepers lips. They both pulled back and smiled at each other and leaned back in and started kissing again. 

They continued there little make out session as Ashlyn led them back to the bed. They both obviously knew they wouldn’t be having sex but it was always nice to reconnect with the person you loved every once in a while. 

When they laid down on the bed Ashlyn leaned over and turned on the lamp so she could see Ali’s beautiful face. 

At that moment they both looked over and saw Grayson asleep on her bed. They were both mortified. Ali quickly jumped up and off Ashlyn’s bed and then they both stilled. Ashlyn took a step off her bed and closer to Grayson. It seemed like she was sleeping but Ashlyn just wanted to make sure they didn’t wake her up with their impromptu makeout session. 

From what it looked like they hadn’t woken her. They both tiptoed out of the room and said goodbye for the night right outside the door. It had definitely been a pretty interesting start to camp.


	4. Nightmares

Chapter Four

It was 3:51 in the morning when Ashlyn had been awaken and she didn’t know why. She looked around the room, everything was still dark. She wondered what had woken her up. 

Just then she heard it. A little whimper followed by some mumbling. She slammed her head back into her pillow. “Great” she thought, “I’m stuck with someone who talks in there sleep.” She let out a heavy breathe and pulled her other pillow over her face. 

She laid there for a couple of minutes just listening and willing herself back to sleep. As she was listening she noticed the mumbling sounded more like words. She tried to pick them out. She thought that she heard a “No” and a “please” and a “stop”. She took the pillow off her face and looked over at Grayson. Grayson looked like she was in distress, her forehead was scrunched and she had a frown. 

The keeper watched her for a few more minutes trying to decide if she should wake her up or not.   
After a couple more minutes Grayson’s face evened out and it looked like the nightmare was over, so Ashlyn turned her back to her and tried to go back to sleep. She couldn’t stop thinking about what she thought she had heard. What was the girl dreaming about that made her look so scared in her sleep?

On the other side of the room, Grayson’s eyes shot open and she finally woke up from her nightmare. “At least I didn’t wake up screaming” she thought. It happened sometimes but since she was rooming with Ashlyn she was extremely grateful it didn’t happen that night. 

She sat up to look over at Ashlyn, her back was turned to her and she seem like she was still asleep. At least she wouldn’t have to explain that in morning. 

Grayson got up and slowly walked to the bathroom. She slashed some water on her face, took a couple deep breaths, got back in bed and tried to fall back to sleep. 

When Ashlyn woke up for the second time it was because the alarm she set the night before so she didn’t miss breakfast was going off. She reached over to the nightstand and turn the alarm off. She looked over and saw that Grayson was already up and ready for breakfast looking through her phone. “Morning” she said.

Grayson looked over “Oh, good morning”

Just then there was a knock on the door.   
Ashlyn got up to get it, it was Ali. She was ready for breakfast and thought she would come wait in Ashlyn’s room for her to get ready. 

Ali struck up some conversation with the two girls, “So how did everybody sleep?” She looked over at Grayson. She was there for Ashlyn but she didn’t want to leave the girl out of their conversation. 

“not too bad” she replied. 

“Really?” Ashlyn asked “I woke up in the middle of the night and it sounded like you were having a nightmare?” She looked at her puzzled. 

“Oh, umm..” just then Grayson’s phone started ringing. It was Amaya, she and Charley were probably calling for their good morning FaceTime. “Sorry” she said “I’ve got to take this, I’ll see you guess at breakfast.” and with that she was out the door. 

Ali looked at Ashlyn, “that was kinda weird?” 

“Yeah.. I didn’t mean to make her uncomfortable, but it did sound like she was having a nightmare. She was saying things like ‘no’ and ‘stop’” Ashlyn said while she was getting ready. 

“I wonder what she was dreaming about?” Ali said. 

“I don’t know but it didn’t sound pleasant.” Ashlyn finally finished getting ready. “Oh well, Good Morning to you, baby. You look as beautiful as ever. You ready to go?”

“You’re always so sweet, Ash” she leaned in to give Ashlyn a good morning kiss, “ Yeah, let’s get going.”

—

That first day of camp was like a dream to Grayson. Meeting everyone was so much easier than she thought it would be. Everyone was super nice and she immediately felt apart of the group. They even joked about young she was which Grayson now knew that being the butt of their jokes meant that they actually liked her. 

It was a lot easier for her to hide who she really was in a big group of people compared to what she had dealt with the day before with just Ashlyn and Ali. 

If Grayson thought just meeting everyone went really good, the soccer went even better. She was killing it on the field. Grayson was one of those people that no matter what was going on in their home life it never carried over to soccer. Unlike in her life, the pitch was one place that she felt total control. That she had a say in what happened to her. And even after just one double day no one on the team was questioning if she would be good enough to play with them. 

Later at dinner everyone was mingling just happy to be back at another camp. All Grayson could think about was how great the day had been. After a long string of really bad days this one day was a breath of fresh air. It gave her a glimpse of what her life could be like one day after she turned 18 and got out of the system. She knew it was going to be a really hard 3ish years but now that she saw what it was going to be like afterwards she knew she could could make it. 

At the end of the table Ali and Ash were talking. 

“Wow, it like she’s a totally different person” Ashlyn said, her eyes looking towards Grayson. 

“She definitely looks 100% more comfortable now than she did in the room. Maybe thee Ashlyn Harris Vibe Reader was wrong for once.” 

Ashlyn looked skeptical, “I don’t know if I buy it yet. If I learned anything from when I was younger, it’s that it’s easier to be yourself in a crowded room than when you’re talking to someone one on one.” 

“Who knows?” Ali replied, “All I know it that we finished dinner an hour ago, both our rooms are empty and we’re still down here. 

—

That night it was the same as the last. Ashlyn was woken in the middle of the night by whimpering. She opened her eyes and watched Grayson debating on whether or not she should wake her up. 

Just then Grayson’s eyes opened and she shot up to a sitting position. She didn’t scream but her breathing was heavy. She put her hand on her chest trying to calm her beating heart. She took a few deep breaths and looked over to the bed next to her, Ashlyn was laying on her side facing Gray with her eyes closed. “Thank God!” She thought. She took a drink from her water on the nightstand and laid back down to go to back to sleep. 

—

The next couple of days and nights went mostly the same. During the days Grayson was killing it in soccer and when she was with the team no one tried to dig into her personal life too much. She made a habit of staying out of her room when Ashlyn was there. Everytime they were together Ashlyn would talk to her and try to get to know her. It just gave Gray an unsettling feeling. Honestly, Grayson really like Ashlyn and Ali but it made her nervous the closer they got to her.

The nights brought more nightmares but Ashlyn hadn’t said anything about them since the first morning so she thought she was in the clear and hadn’t woken her up. Little did she know that Ashlyn had woken up every night.


	5. New Boots

Chapter five. 

It was just after the morning session their fourth day there. Ali and Ashlyn were on Ash’s bed watching something on her computer. Grayson had just sat down on her bed with her cleat in her hands. 

“Shit” she whispered looking at her right cleat. She hadn’t meant to say it out loud but it just came out. 

Ali and ash looked at each other. “Is everything okay?” Asked Ali looking skeptical. 

Grayson looked over her shoulder at them. Crap. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that out loud. But Um.. yeah I’m fine.” She looked down at her cleat think how the best way to fix it would be. 

Ali and Ash were still looking at Grayson. “What’s wrong with your boot?” Asked Ashlyn 

“It ripped”

“How bad? Let me see.” 

Grayson walked to the side of her bed so she was facing Ash and Ali. She showed them the cleat, it was ripped down almost the whole side where the sole met the leather. 

“Dang that’s pretty bad.” Ash said taking the shoe to get a closer look. “looks like it’s time for some new ones” she gave it back. 

“Nahh, I think I’m just going to tape it” she said taking the boot back and going to get tape from her bag. New cleats would be way to expensive. Especially after all the plane tickets this month. She needed to save her money for when her and Charley got back to Orlando. She didn’t know what situation they would be going back to and she wanted to make sure that they had enough money for the necessities. 

“That’s a pretty big rip to fix with tape.” Ali said “I think Ash is right.” 

Grayson didn’t know what to say. How was she supposed to explain to them that she couldn’t get a new pair because she didn’t have the money for them. She glanced back at them, growing more aware of the awkward silence. 

Ali finally broke it, “You know we all get attached to our favorite pair of boots but eventually the time comes that we have to get new ones.” 

Grayson sighed, “yeah, I guess you're right.” She decided it would be easier to go with that lie than to make up her own, but she continued to try and tape her boot. 

—

That night was the first night Grayson woke up screaming. 

Ashlyn was woken by the mumbling again that night when she noticed Gray’s dream seemed to be more intense then the others. This time Grayson was calling out real phrases. She stopped and listened “LET ME GO” “PLEASE STOP” “NO”. Ashlyn couldn’t bear to listen anymore. She felt bad the girl was suffering so she got out of bed and went over to her. She tried to gently wake her so she didn’t scare her. Gray started screaming as she woke up. 

Grayson screamed and then jerked awake tears running down her face. She saw someone right in front of her and pushed them back as hard as she could. Thankful she was still laying down and didn’t get in a good enough push when it happened because when her eyes finally adjusted to the dark she saw that it was Ashlyn infront of her. 

Grayson jumped up “I’m sooo sorry, are you okay? I didn’t mean to hit you. You just scared me being so close when I woke up.” She tried to wipe the tears from her face but they wouldn’t stop coming. 

“I’m fine, are you okay? You were screaming in your sleep. I was just trying to wake you.” 

“I’m so so sorry! I didn’t mean to wake you.” She felt so stupid. She couldn’t even sleep in a room with someone else without ruining sleep for the both of them. She started gathering her pillow and a blanket. “I’m sorry, I’ll go find somewhere else to sleep.” She started walking out the door. 

“No that’s not what I meant!” But before Ash could finish Grayson was gone. 

—

When Ashlyn and Ali had walked into breakfast that morning Ashlyn walked up to Grayson who was in line getting her food. 

“Hey, where did you go last night? You didn’t have to leave. Are you okay?” Ashlyn was genuinely concerned. 

“I’m fine, I’m so sorry for waking you up. I promise I’ll find somewhere else to sleep for the rest of camp”

She was interrupted by Ashlyn “you don’t need to sleep somewhere else, it’s your room too”

Grayson pulled Ashlyn to the other side of the room where no one would hear her. “Look, I can promise that it won’t happen again and I really don’t want to interrupt your sleep. I feel bad enough waking you up last night.”

Ashlyn made a face like she wasn’t sure if she should say something about the other nights. 

“What?” Gray asked 

“I know you’ve had them every night.” Grayson looked so embarrassed. Ashlyn quickly tried to end her misery, “it’s okay, you don’t have to be embarrassed. I used to get nightmares a lot when I was a kid.” This did really seem to help so she just continued on with the conversation. “Anyway, you don’t have to find somewhere else to sleep. You’re sleeping in our room. With that she turned to walk away. 

“Ashlyn wait!” She turn back around

Grayson looked down still embarrassed “look, I don’t know what I said in my sleep last night or what you heard but..”

“Don’t worry about it” Ashlyn interrupted 

“Can.. it just..can we keep it between us?” Gray asked refusing to make eye contact. 

Ashlyn raised her hand to put it on Gray’s shoulder. Grayson flinched at the contact, so Ashlyn moved her hand back. “It’s all good, it’ll stay between us.” With that she turned around and walked away wondering what was bothering the girl so much. 

“What was that about?” Ali asked nodding her head to Grayson. 

“We were talking about last night, she asked me to not tell anyone.” What Grayson didn’t know was that before Ash got down to breakfast and promised her she wouldn’t say anything, she had already told Ali all about it. “You can’t say anything to her about it or she will think I lied to her.” 

“I won’t say anything to her, I promise. But what about all the stuff you heard her say, is she okay? 

“I think she’ll be fine, she didn’t want to make it a big deal.” She said with worry in her voice. 

With that they went back to their breakfast. 

—

Grayson walked in her hotel room after their soccer session that day. Ashlyn was already on her bed relaxing. When Gray got to her bed she saw a Nike shoe box. She cautiously opened it and saw a new pair of cleats. 

“Seriously Ash? I’m not taking these.”

“What do you mean, I didn’t put them there” 

“Oh yeah, then who did? 

“I’m sponsored by Umbro, no way I would be caught dead buying Nike boots” she looks at Grayson with a smirk. 

Grayson thought about it for a second. It made sense. “Fine then give them back to Ali and tell her thanks, but no thanks” 

Right at that moment Ali walked through the door. When at camp they all usually leave the hinge on the door open so they walk in their teammates rooms and visit. “Give Ali What?” She asked 

Grayson turned to Ali and held the cleats out. “Here you can have them back, I can’t take these.” 

“I don’t know what your talking about” Ali played

Ashlyn replies before Grayson could. “ Ali the jig is up she knows they’re from you and like I told you she won’t take them.” 

“Yeah, what she said. So here you can have them back.” Gray held them out to her again. 

“Well I don’t want them they’re not even my size” Ali argued 

“take them back to the store then and get your money back. This is the most expensive model.” Gray really wanted them but there is no way she could let Ali spend all that money on her. They barely even knew each other. 

“I can’t take them back to the store, I got them from Nike directly. They sponsor me so I got them for free and you don’t have to feel bad about the money because I didn’t pay for them.” Ali reasoned. “Please just take them. It’s in the best interest of the team”

“Oh yeah, how’s that?”

“Because the tape on those old boots you’ve been wearing is about to give out and when it does we can’t have you getting hurt. We’ve got a game coming up and your going to help us win. 

Grayson couldn’t help but smile a little. She was quiet and thought about taking the cleats. 

“So is that a yes?” Ali asked

“Fine, I’ll take them.” Grayson held her finger up “only because it is in the teams best interest.” She looked at both Ashlyn and Ali “and I swear to god this better not happen ever again!” She broke out in a smile telling them that she really wasn’t that mad. 

She stopped for a second and thought about it. If they liked her enough to buy her a new pair of boot maybe she could trust them at least a little bit. Before she lost her nerve she looked over at the both of them on Ashlyn’s bed “Really though, thanks for this.” She teared up and let down her guard a little “It would have been tough to pull together enough money for a new pair of boots this month. I really appreciate it.” She didn’t give them a chance to respond putting her headphones in and laying down on her bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m half way through chapter 6 and let me tell you shit hits the fan. The story will start speeding up after that.


	6. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth comes out.

Chapter Six

Ali and Ashlyn were walking back to Ashlyn’s room after lunch the next day. The week had gone by fast. And they just wanted to spend some time together catching up on their favorite TV shows and being close to one another. When they walked in the room they saw Grayson changing her shirt, eyes wide, they stopped dead in their tracks.

That afternoon Grayson had had a quick lunch then went up to her room to shower and hopefully have a nap. When she got out of the shower she noticed that she forgot her shirt. “Crap” she thought. 

She poked her head out the bathroom to look and see if Ashlyn was back yet. Thank god she wasn’t. Grayson walked out of the bathroom in her sports bra and shorts in search of her missing shirt. Just then the door swung open. Grayson froze her back turned to the door. “Holy shit” is all she needed to hear for before she got moving again, turning around and grabbing the first shirt she could find. She was in such a rush she accidentally putting it on backwards. 

After Ali and Ash walked in the door, they stopped. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Grayson’s entire back and torso was covered in bruises. 

“Holy shit” Ashlyn said before Grayson could get a t-shirt to cover up her bruises. 

They all just stood there, Ali and Ashlyn staring at Grayson and the spot where her bruises were under her shirt. Grayson staring back at them not quite sure what to say or do. Her mind was racing. How was she going to get out of this? How could she have been so careless? She couldn’t think of any lies to explain what they had just seen. 

“Grayson..” Ali said. 

Both adults looked at her with the most pitiful faces. This was exactly why Gray kept it a secret. After they found out everyone always looked at her with that same face. Then they would say that they wanted to help but the truth was that no one could help, it’s just the way the system worked. 

“It’s fine. It’s not a big deal” Gray’s legs finally started working again. “I’m okay” 

“Are you joking? Because it’s definitely not funny” Ashlyn looked at her like she was crazy. “Have you looked at yourself in a mirror lately? Because that...” she pointed to Grayson stomach, “...is definitely not okay!”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about!” Gray responded getting kinda pissed. She felt that they were passing judgment on her without know the full story. 

“I know that those bruises didn’t come from playing soccer or any of the other lies that your trying to come up with to cover it up.” 

“What’s your problem?” Grayson asked. It turned into a fight quickly and started to escalate. In reality they both were just scared and didn’t know what to do. 

“I don’t have a problem. You, however, have bruises all over your body in the shape of shoe prints.” She yelled back. 

Ali tried to calm everyone down and diffuse the situation. “Ash, babe, calm down.” She put her hand on her back. 

Ashlyn took a breath and and calmly said, “please just tell us who did this to you and let us help you”

“You can’t help me, okay? Just leave me alone” when she was done she just looked defeated. Ali and ash just stood there in shock. She grabbed her phone and walked out the door. 

Everyone always said that they just wanted to help but everytime someone tried to help it just got worse for Grayson and Charley. 

When Grayson left the room she was really upset so she called Amaya so she could talk her off the ledge. 

She told Amaya what had happened and what was said in the conversation word for word. She finished the replay and was waiting for Amaya to respond. 

“Do you wanna know my honest opinion?”

“Of course, that’s why I called you.” Grayson said.   
She wanted someone’s opinion who knew the whole story and wouldn’t hold back the truth. 

“Well, honestly I think that they caught you by surprise and you were embarrassed and then you felt like they were judging you so you got a little defensive.” 

“But they were judging me, you should have seen the look they were giving me! And they didn’t even know the situation.” 

“Gray, they were looking at you like they just saw your entire torso covered in bruises. They were looking at you trying to figure out how awful it must have hurt to have been subjected to that kind of abuse. They were looking at you like they would do whatever you asked just to be able to help you.” 

“How do you even know that if you weren’t here?”

“I know it because it’s the same way I look at you everytime you get hurt.” Grayson was silent so Amaya continued “and somewhere behind all your embarrassment and terror you know it too. They just want to help you.”

“But they can’t, every time someone tries to help it just makes it worse. You know that!” Grayson started to tear up. 

“You’re right, I know that and you know that but they don’t know that. Honestly they are probably just as scared as you are right now. They don’t know what to do but they know your hurt.”

“So what should I do?” She sniffled 

“Just talk to them, tell them thanks for the offer but that they can't help you and tell them why. Now that they know your secret you can stop hiding who you are. You can show them the amazing person you are. You can show them the amazing girl that I am so in love with and so thankful for everyday.”

Gray smiled the most genuine smile “I love you.” 

“I love you too, babe. I’ve got to go but Charley and I will call you before bed tonight.”

“Okay..hey Amaya?”

“Yeah” 

“I’m thankful for you too.”

“Bye, love”

“Bye”

And that’s why Grayson loved her so much. They just got each other. They grounded each other. Gray knew what she had to do. She had to go find Ali and Ash, apologize and explain. 

She walked back to the hotel room and hoped that they were still there. Thankfully they were. When she walked in the room they stopped their conversation and stared at her. They didn’t know what to do and they didn’t want to upset her. 

They all started talking at once, trying to apologize in some way. 

“No,” Grayson spoke up “I’m sorry, I should have never talked to you like that and the person I’ve been, it’s not who I am.”

“So you’re gonna let us help you?” Ashlyn asked

“Ash.. you can’t help me, okay?” Ashlyn look at her like she was insane. “just let me explain first”

“Yes, please explain” Ali finally spoke up “because what we saw, it’s not okay and you’re acting like it’s not a big deal. Something needs to happen to the person who did this to you.”

“You think that I don’t know that!” Grayson replied defensively. When Ali jumped back as she took a breath to calm down. 

“I didn’t mean it like that, that came out the wrong way.” Ali apologize. 

“No, I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m used to people judging me before knowing the whole story. I didn't ask for this to happen…” she pointed to her body “I do everything I can to prevent it.” She took a breath. “Just let me explain before you judge me, okay?”

“We’re not judging you” Ash said. 

“And we're not going to judge you.” Ali added. “We just wanna help”

“You can’t help me” Gray looked like she was defeated. 

“You keep saying that, but why?” 

“It’s not that I don’t want your help, but it will just get worse if you try and help me.” 

“But that doesn’t make any sense.” Ash argued 

“Just let me explain and if you have any questions then you can ask me.”

“Okay” they both said in unison. 

“Look, I live in the foster care system. I don’t know how much you know about the system but it’s not always the safest place. Yeah, there are some good homes but they mostly just take the babies and if you actually do get put in a good home you’re not there for long. Most foster parents are just in it for the money. They get there check and you get a roof over your head at night. Sometimes that means that you don’t get food sometimes that means you don’t have a bed and you sleep on the floor. And when you’re stuck in the bad homes…” 

It was getting hard for her to look at Ali and Ashlyn so she just looked towards the floor. 

She continued “In the bad homes, stuff like this happens.” She pointed to her stomach. “And sometimes worse. Honestly, this is nothing” 

They both just looked at Grayson with the most horrified looks. Like they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. They both were thinking about a million things at once...what does that mean? Had she been hurt worse before? How do they let people who do that to children become foster parents? 

Ali finally spoke up “So you’re living in one of the bad homes?” 

And then it was Ashlyn’s turn “So I still don’t understand why you won’t let us help?”

Grayson continued. “The house I’m in right now isn’t horrible, we get food most the time and I have my own bed.” 

Ali and Ash were looking at her like she was the most insane person in the world. 

“So if it’s not that bad why do you have bruises on you?” Ash wondered 

“Well, my foster dad has a bad temper sometimes, especially when we don’t get our chores done. Sometimes he withholds our food but for us older kids it means that he takes his frustrations out on us. When I told him that I was leaving to come to camp, he got upset because there would be no one to do my chores.” Grayson started to get embarrassed. It felt really good to tell someone but she still was embarrassed about what they thought of her. 

“He beat you up because you came to camp?” Ali looked at her with wonder. 

“Yeah, I usually can fight back and hold my own but he came at me from behind and I didn’t see him.” 

“Isn’t there someone from the state that you can call and talk to? My friend is a social worker and deals with foster kids and finding them homes and stuff. Shouldn’t you have your own caseworker like her?” Ash asked trying to form a game plan to help. 

“I do have a caseworker and she’s really great, it’s not her fault that no one takes in older kids. They think the older the kid the longer they’ve been in the system which means there behaviors are usually bad. But I did call her on my way here and she’s looking for somewhere else for me to go when I get home.” They both nodded trying to understand. 

“So how long have you been in the system?” Ali asked afraid of what the answer might be. 

“I’ve only been in it for about 7 months, but my sister and I wanna stay together and it’s harder to find homes that will take two new people at once even if they are siblings.” 

“You have a sister? Does she get hurt like that too?” Ali asked pointing to Grayson’s torso 

“I do, she’s 2 and no way in hell I would ever let anyone get close enough to touch her!”

Ash chimes in “if you don’t mind me asking, and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want, why were you guys put in the system in the first place?” She was well aware of the horrible things that happen to be put in foster care. 

“My family was killed in a car accident. They were hit head on by a drunk driver. Charley, my little sister was the only one in the car that survived. Then something ended up being wrong with my parents will that said we couldn’t go to any of our relatives so we had to go into the system. since then it’s been Charley and I against the world.” Gray started tearing up when she started to talk about her family. 

“We’re so sorry for your loss, that must have been so hard. Please tell us anything we can do to help we just want you two be safe.” 

“It was hard, it’s still hard everyday, but I just have to make sure Charley is okay and keep her safe until I turn 18 and then I can get custody of her and then everything will be okay and I’ll be able to raise her myself. And unless you can make time move faster there is nothing you can do to help.” 

They all just stared at each other not quite sure what to say. Ali and Ash finally understood where she was coming from and that there was not much they could do for her. Grayson walked to her bed and sat down. 

“So where’s Charley now?” Ashlyn finally asked after a couple minutes of silence. 

“She’s with my friend who I know will keep her safe while I’m gone.” Gray answered. They both nodded their heads and looked like they were thinking. Gray continued “I know I just dropped a lot on you and feel free to process but could we maybe just keep this between us.”

They nodded their heads again and Ali responded “You know if people find out no one is going to judge you here. We are all a big family with this team and everyone just wants what is best for each other.”

“I get that. I do. I just don’t want people to look at me differently or treat me any different. This is my one opportunity to be normal for once and not the girl who’s family was killed and not the girl who’s in foster care. Here I just get to be Grayson, the girl who loves to play soccer. So.. can we please just keep it between us? 

They both agreed. With the conversation being over they turned on the tv and together they started watching the random movie that was on until Ashlyn thought of something. 

“So since we got that out of the way do we finally get to know you now that you’re done being shady and keeping secrets?” Ashlyn asked. All she wanted to do was help and if Grayson wasn’t going to let her help get her out of the situation she was in she sure as hell was going to become a person she could lean on when times got hard. 

Grayson smiled “I guess that can be arranged.” After her parents died Grayson had never had an adult actually care for her and take the time to get to know her. She thought that if Ashlyn and Ali wanted to get to know the real her then maybe things could be different after all.


	7. Her People

Chapter Seven

The next day was the last day of practice before what would be Grayson’s first cap with the national team. The start of the day was pretty normal. Right after lunch the team had a meeting to discuss some strategy for the game. This is where Grayson found out she would be starting. 

After the meeting they were all walking out of the conference room through the lobby, some were talking some were congratulating Gray on the start. All of the sudden they hear a kid yell “GiGi!” They all turned to look where it was coming from when a rambunctious 2 ½ year old crashed into Grayson’s legs. 

Grayson and Charley had nicknames for each other that only their family used and now that their family was gone it was something they did just between them. Charley called Grayson “GiGi” and Grayson called Charley “Leetle” like beetle but with an L, it was a long story. 

When Charley crashed into her legs, she bent down took her into her arms and picked her up. She gave her the biggest hug imaginable. Grayson didn’t realize until she saw her how much she had truly missed Charley that week. 

“GiGi, you squishin me!” Charley said. 

“Sorry. Sorry. I just missed you so much.” Knowing that Charley didn’t get there by herself she started looking around for her people. 

Standing over by the check in desk was Amaya, her mom, her dad and her brother. Grayson walked over to them holding Charley and gave them all hug.  
“What the heck are you guys doing here?”

Amaya responded like she thought Gray was crazy. “Are you kidding? There was no way that we were going to miss your first cap!” At that moment she might not of had a “family” but she was extremely grateful for the people life. 

On the other side of the lobby Ali and Ashlyn were talking. 

“That must be Charley and the family that was watching her will Gray was here” Ali reasoned 

“Yeah” Ash nodded “Hey, that means that they probably know about there situation. I know gray said there’s nothing we can do but I just don’t feel right about it. Maybe they can tell us what we can do”

“Yeah, but don’t you think Grayson will get mad if she knows we asked them.”

“I don’t know, probably, but we gotta do something Al… you saw how bad it looked.”

“You’re right we’ll have to try and find them later when she’s not around.” 

After that they had practice and dinner. They had a little down time for the rest of the night. Grayson and Amaya decided to take Charley and Andrew, Amaya’s brother, and go find cool secret places in the hotel (it was one of their favorite things to do) while Amaya’s parents Mariska and Peter went down to the hotel bar to relax and have a drink. They were planning to meet up later and go out for frozen yogurt before Grayson had to be in for the night. 

Ashlyn and Ali were bored so they decided that they were going to go for a walk. When they got down to the lobby Ashlyn saw the people that Grayson was hugging. 

“Wait Ali, come here.” Ashlyn steered them towards the bar/restaurant and walked up to Mariska and Peter. 

“Hi,” she got their attention. “I’m Ashlyn and this is Ali. You’re here for Grayson, right?”

“Yes we are. We came to watch her play. I’m Mariska and this is my husband Peter.”

“You guys we’re watching Charley, right?” Ali chimed in making sure that they were correct and they could trust them.

When they nodded their heads Ashlyn asked if they could talk. 

“I was wondering if we were going to have this conversation.” Mariska chuckled. Ali and Ashlyn looked confused. “she told me about the talk you guys had yesterday” 

“So you know what’s been happening to her?”

“We do, yeah” peter said disappointedly

“So if you guys know and it’s still happening that means she was telling the truth when she said that there was nothing we could do to help her.” Ashlyn deduced. 

Mariska started to explain. “Grayson is our daughter's best friend. She has been a member of our family ever since. She is one of our own. When her parents died we did everything we could to help Charley and her. We do know what has been happening and we have tried to help them so many times but until the laws change there is nothing we can really do except what we are already doing. Being there for them and allowing them a place to escape to. When things get really bad they come stay at our house for a little bit. It’s against the law and if anyone knew we would probably get in trouble but that’s all that we can do for them.”

“What do you mean until the laws change?” Ali questioned. 

“After the first time something like this happened my daughter and I flew to Florida to help but that’s when we found out there wasn’t really much we could do. In the system if you file charges against foster parent for any wrongdoing your file gets flagged you usually got to a group home which means being split up from siblings and making it virtually impossible to ever be adopted.”

“But why is that fair!?” Ashlyn interrupted

“It’s not!” Peter answered and Mariska continued “That is why we just have to keep doing the little things that we can to help them.”

Right then they were interrupted by the kids walking up. 

“Hey, what’s going on?” Amaya was wondering what her parents were doing talking to Ali and Ash. 

“We were just having a conversation. Are you guys ready to get froyo?”

“Yeah we're ready, are we interrupting something?” Grayson asked hoping to god they weren’t talking about her but deep down knowing that they were. 

“Nope, we are ready” Mariska answered. “ would you guys like to come with us we are going to get frozen yogurt?” 

“Oh, no thanks we were just on our way upstairs. Thanks though” Ali said. 

With that the two groups were off for their separate activities. 

The next day was full of nerves and excitement and Grayson wouldn’t of had it any other way. By the time that the first whistle blew it was all excitement. 

The game went as well as it could. Grayson had two goals and one assist. She stood on the field after the final whistle to take it all in. This was where she wanted to be. This was where she belonged. As all the player congratulated her on an awesome first cap she felt elated. Nothing could ruin that moment. Nothing.


	8. A New House

Chapter Eight 

The next day Grayson was brought back to reality when she realized it was time to go back. She would no longer have the safety of living in the hotel with the national team she had to go back to Orlando, back into the system. 

They went to the airport together but after they checked in it was time to split up. Amaya and her family were going back to New York and Grayson and Charley were going back to Orlando. 

They said their goodbyes, there were some tears shed, some “please try and be safe”’s and then it was time to leave each other. 

Grayson and Charley walked to the boarding area for their flight. When they got there they noticed the only seats left were right in front of Ali, Ashlyn and Alex. Grayson sighed. The last thing she wanted to do right now was have a conversation. She was upset and just wanted to relish in it. She didn’t want to be rude so when she sat down she gave a friendly smile and put her headphones in. After a couple of minutes Charley climbed from the seat next to her to on her lap so she could cuddle into her sister and take a nap. 

The flight was quite uneventful and went entirely to quick. When they got off the plane they went to baggage claim and got their things. Grayson turned her phone back on and got a text from Liz, their case worker. It said that she got stuck in a meeting and she wouldn’t be able to pick them up from the airport on time. They would either have to take an Uber or wait a few hours. Grayson decided just to take an Uber and meet Liz at her office. There was a nice park across the street from her office that Charley would love and Mariska gave her some extra money before they left so they could afford to take a car.

As Gray and Charley were waiting outside at the Uber pick up stations Ashlyn, Ali and Alex walked by them. Ashlyn noticed where they were standing waiting and decided to offer them a ride. She really wanted to help them and this was one little thing that she could do. 

“Hey, do you guys need a ride?”

Grayson turned around holding Charley’s hand “oh.. um, that’s okay. You don't have to.” Grayson looking embarrassed. 

“Stop just come on. Your not taking an Uber and Charley can use my nephew Jensen’s car seat that I have.” She started walking motioning them the follow. 

Grayson was still trying to decide when Ali gave her a little nudge. “Just come on, you know she’s not going to take no for an answer.”

Gray rolled her eyes she knew Ali was right so she grabbed her bags and she and Charley followed behind the girls. 

The car ride was mostly quiet at first after Grayson gave Ashlyn the address they were going to and she put it into her phone. 

“So Grayson, who is this little cutie you got here with you?” Alex asked looking at Charley. Not knowing who she was or there situation. 

“Oh, this is my little sister Charley.”

“Was she with us the whole time at camp and I just missed it? Oh my gosh I can’t believe I was that oblivious!” 

“No, haha.” Grayson chuckled “my friends mom brought her so she could see the game. You didn’t miss anything” 

“Okay, I’m sorry I just have to ask… was that or was that not the lady that plays Olivia Benson I saw you with?”

“Yeah, that was her.” Grayson said. She was used to people reacting this way after being with Amaya for almost two years. “She’s my best friend’s mom. They all came to see the game and she brought Charley with her.” 

“Oh my gosh I knew it! Allie and Kelley told me that there was no way but I knew it! Law and Order: SVU is my favorite show!” 

“Yeah, it’s a good one!” Grayson smiled not knowing what else to say. Fan encounters were still weird for her and even after just a few weeks of being with Amaya she realized why Amaya hated them so much. They were always weird and awkward. 

“So if she brought Charley were your parents not able to come?” Alex asked finding it kind of weird that Grayson’s friend’s mom came but not her own mother. 

Ali and Ash looked at each other feeling bad that Alex asked that question. But luckily before Grayson had time to answer the GPS interrupted saying “you have arrived at your destination. 

Ashlyn looked to the right, there were just a bunch of office buildings. She looked to the left and there was a park in an empty field. She pulled into the park parking lot and turned around to look at Grayson. “Sorry, the address you gave me must have been wrong. Do you want to type it in again?” 

“This is right, Charley and I are going to play at the park for a little bit. Thanks for the ride!” She said getting out of the car and turning to unbuckle Charley. Grayson walked to the back of the car to get their bags and Ali and Ashlyn looked at each other horrified and so confused. They both thought that they would be able to at least see where they were going to be living and see if they would be okay. 

Ashlyn got out of the car to talk to Grayson. While Alex asked Ali what the heck was going on? Ali just shrugged like she didn’t know. 

Outside the car Ashlyn asked Grayson “What’s going on?”

“We’ve got about an hour to kill before our case worker is done in her meeting then she’s gonna meet us here. And take us to our new foster home.” Grayson explained. 

“You don’t have to wait here.” Ashlyn was upset with herself that she hadn’t asked Grayson about there plans once they got home. If they had somewhere to go yet, they could have avoided this whole mess. 

“Where else do you want us to wait?” 

“You can come hangout with us and your caseworker can meet you there”

“Come on, GiGi! Let’s go play!” Charley interrupted pulling on Grayson’s hand. 

“We’re okay, Ash. Really. Thank you for the offer but we are okay, It’s just for an hour.” 

Ashlyn finally relented “Fine, but remember you have my number and Ali’s don’t be afraid to use it if you need anything today or any other day no matter the time.” Grayson nodded her head and started to walk away. 

She stopped and turned around “Hey Ash!” Ashlyn looked back. Grayson walked up and gave her a hug. “Thanks” and with that she followed Charley to the park. The significance wasn’t lost on Ashlyn that was the first time all week that 1. Grayson voluntarily touched her and 2. didn’t tense up when she got near someone. 

When Ashlyn got back in the car she turned the key, pulled out of the parking lot and started driving home without saying anything. She couldn’t stop thinking that leaving them was a bad idea. What was there new home going to be like? Were they going to be okay? Were they going to be safe? 

Ali was looking as Ash waiting for her to say something. 

Ash looked over and saw Ali and Alex staring at her. “What?” She asked 

Ali was bewildered “Are you kidding? What’s happening? Are they okay? What’s their plan? I can’t believe you just left them there.” 

Alex was confused “Wait, why are you so worried about them?”

Ali and Ash looked at each other they didn’t know why to say. They didn’t want to betray Grayson’s trust and tell her secret but if they were in Alex’s position they would be just as skeptical. 

Ashlyn looked back at Alex and ten at Ali. “They’re fine. Charley just wanted to play at the park for a little bit. Ashlyn gave Ali a look like drop it so she did knowing that Ashlyn would tell her when Alex wasn’t within hearing distance. 

“I don’t know what’s going on but you guys are acting really weird” Alex said before they dropped the subject all together. 

After they dropped Alex off they went home. 

“There is nothing like coming home after a long trip away.” It’s what Ashlyn said every time they came home from a trip. 

“Yeah, yeah, we know. We get it. You say it every time we get home. Now tell me what’s the deal with Gray?” 

“But it’s just so true right?” Ash sat down on the couch and put her hands behind her head and kicked her feet up. She looked at Ali and noticed that she was getting the death stare. Ali walked to the garage and let Logan out of her kennel. Ashlyn’s friend had been watching her but he had to go to the kennel when she was at work. 

After Logan attacked them both with dog kisses and settled down a little bit they let her outside and Ali went over to Ash. “Okay spill!”

“She said that they had to wait for there case worker to be done with a meeting and then she was going to meet them there at the park and take them to there new foster home. I tried to get them to just come wait here with us and their caseworker could meet them here but Charley really wanted to go to the park and you know Gray, she was refusing to get any help.” 

“So you just left them there?” Ali was looking at her like she was crazy. 

“What else was I supposed to do? Kidnap her and force them to come?” She asked a little defensive. 

Ali looked defeated. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just so scared for them. I’ve never seen bruises on a kid like that before. I just want them to be safe. And you saw how tiny Charley was she’s just a baby, she..” She couldn’t continue her eyes started tearing and she got choked up. 

Ashlyn took her in her arms “I know babe. I know.” She took a breath and just tried to calm Ali. 

After a couple minutes Ali spoke, “Is that what the bruises looked like on you before you ended up with Gram?” After all their years of dating Ali knew Ashlyn’s history and even though she didn’t mind talking about it, it still hurt sometimes looking back and after seeing what was happening to Grayson it took her right back to those last years she was with her parents. They were addicts and used to beat up on her and her older brother until they were taken away and put in the care of Gram. 

“Yeah I guess, Chris interfered most the time when they tried beating up on me so he got the worst of it. Just like Gray is doing for Charley. I was really lucky to have him. He just always made me feel like I was worth something after they tore all my confidence down.” 

“You’re worth more than just something, Ash. And I thank god everyday that you were put in my life because I wouldn’t want it any other way.” Ali leaned over and started kissing her. “I’ll spend everyday of my life showing you how much you are worth if you will let me. 

And with they no more words were spoken just actions to show each other how much they meant to each other. A couple of time there on the couch until they made it to their bed to make up their lost time while at camp. 

—

Grayson and Charley played at the park for about an hour before Liz walked out of her office building across the street and headed over to talk to them. They spent some time just talking and catching up. Gray told her about how awesome the week was and Liz told her that she had watched the game and how great she had played. Then the dreaded time had come to go to their new home. 

Liz took them and introduced them to there new foster parent and scoped out the house before she left. Grayson and Charley had gotten the scoop from the two other kids living there, the mom wasn’t too bad but they should probably steer clear of the dad especially if he’s been drinking. Easy enough Gray thought they had been in this situation before and at least it was a nice clean house this time. 

—

The week had really been weighing on Liz. As she drove home at the end of the day she hoped with everything she had that the two girls would finally be safe, the system wasn’t alway a bad place but it hadn’t been very kind to them and she would give everything if she could just find them a good home. 

She got a text from her friend in the way home. It was a thank you for watching their dog when they were gone and an invitation for drinks and dinner. She accepted and headed over to her best friend Ashlyn’s house to get her mind off her work. 

When she walked in they all greeted each other. Liz had been friends with Ashlyn since high school and when Ashlyn started dating Ali, she easily meshed with the friendship. 

As they started to eat takeout and have a couple of drinks Liz asked how camp was. Obviously Liz knew that Ashlyn and Ali had to have met Grayson at camp but she was very professional with her job and didn’t like to mix it with her personal life so she never let on that she actually knew the new girl on the team. All she added was “She played really well in the friendly and looked like she would be a good addition to the team.”

Ali and Ashlyn both agreed and then looked at each other like they wanted to ask her something but wasn’t quite sure how to. 

“What?” Liz said. 

Ashlyn looked at her, she knew her friend and she look very tired like something was getting to her. She wanted to ask her about her job and the system in general and if the bad thing really happened as often as Grayson said and if there really was nothing that they could do but instead she saw how bad her friend looked and decided to address that first. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Ashlyn asked “You look a little down, maybe a little tired?”

“I’m okay, it’s just been a rough week at work?”

“What’s going on?” Ali asked 

“Just too many kids and not enough good houses to go around.” Liz gave a sad smile. “Enough of that depressing stuff, let’s talk about something more fun… like how cute Logan was when you guys were gone.” She went over to pet Logan. 

Ali and Ash wanted to get some more info about the system but they could tell that there friend just needed a distraction for the night so they sucked it up and played along. They could ask about it another time.


	9. Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s been awhile. Here’s a short one to hold ya over until the next. There is a trigger warning for violence just wanted to let ya know before ya read and it send someone over the edge. Tell me what ya think?

Chapter Nine 

It had been almost a month when things had gone from bad to worse. When foster homes get new kids the parents are usually on their best behavior for a while because there are a number of house checks that happen. Usually the case worker would come by one or two times for unexpected visits to see if the kids are getting acclimated. But all those check come within the first couple of weeks and after that is when the real climate of the house comes out. 

After those first couple checks is when Grayson and Charley’s found out how much their new foster dad, Tom, liked to drink. And when he did drink there was no telling what he might do. Sometimes he was an aggressive drunk and sometimes he was a lovey dovey drunk and sometimes he was both. This particular night he was a little bit of both. 

****** trigger warning*****

Grayson and Charley went up to bed around 9 o’clock. It was around 11 when Tom came stumbling through there bedroom door. Grayson woke up when he tried to climb on top of her. It only took her a second to realize what was happening. She started pushing and kicking and doing everything she could to get him off. He was drunk so thankfully he was a little less coordinated than usual. 

Grayson finally pushed him hard enough to get him off of her but that just made him angry. As she got us to run away he pulled her back and started to hit her. The alcohol in his veins just made him stronger. With every hit her vision grew more blurry, that was the last thing she remembered. 

******** end trigger warning *********

As Grayson blinked her eyes open and her vision came into focus all she felt was pain. Laying next to her was Charley asleep, her hand on Grayson’s 

All she felt was pain but she had to see if Charley was okay first. She didn’t want to wake her up and scare her even more so she gently looked over her body making sure she didn’t have any marks and thankfully she didn’t. 

That’s when Gray made the decision that they were leaving. Normally she wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. It wasn’t the first time something like this happened and it probably would be the last, but she was just done. Done with everything and everyone. She made a mental note to have the conversation with Liz that once they were out of this house they wouldn’t be going to another. She was taking Charley and they were going far away, somewhere they could be safe together where the system couldn’t touch them. 

She texted Liz the single word “help” and started to gather their things. Thankfully they only had a backpack of things each because it really hurt to move around so much. When she was done packing she picked Charley up, wrapped her in a blanket and sat on the waiting. 

It was a little after midnight and Liz was in bed just about to fall asleep when her text ringer went off. She knew that she better look at it because nothing good ever happens after midnight. Especially with her job. 

It was one single word from Grayson “help.” Liz and Gray had a code. If something happened but everyone and everything was okay Grayson would simple just tell her what happened. The text “Help” meant that something happened no time to explain, everyone is conscious but we need out. And then the worst of all just a message of jumbled letters meaning “didn’t have time to text a real message we are in danger, emergency.”

It was honestly really sad that they had to have a code like this but nonetheless something had happened, Gray and Charley didn’t feel safe and they needed out. Liz got dressed got in her car and call the police to meet her at the house. The police were just a precaution she didn’t know what had happened but things usually got ugly during immediate extractions. 

When they all got to the house the police knocked on the door but everyone in the house was asleep so no one answered. They knocked a couple more times louder and louder until Tom drunkenly opened the door and started yelling. The police explained that there had been a disturbance call from earlier asking if they could just take a look around. That got Tom really angry and he started screaming and cussing and the police telling them they weren’t allowed in the house. 

After a lot of back and forth and Tom getting handcuffed and told that he didn’t have a choice if they went in the house or not, Liz went in with an officer following Incase there was other trouble. 

When they walked in the room that Grayson and Charley were in they originally saw that they were both asleep. When they looked a little closer they saw Grayson’s face covered in blood. Liz gently shook her awake without waking up Charley while the officer called for an ambulance. 

When she woke up she told them what happened and that she was okay she just wanted out. Within the next hour all the children’s social workers were called to the house and the other kids were taken away. Against the officers discretion Grayson said she was not pressing charges she just wanted her and Charley out. The officer didn’t understand but Liz knew why, the same reason she hadn’t all the other times. The paramedics checked her out and said that she was okay but they wanted to take her to the hospital just in case but she refused to go. 

That’s how they ended up sitting in the car at 1:30 in the morning. Charley was asleep in the back seat, she had woken up but Gray calmed her back down and got her to go back to sleep. Liz had just called every short term foster care home she could think of and they were either full and not accepting new kids, not able to accept two kids, or not answering the phone; it was 2am after all. 

Grayson decided now was the time to have the conversation with Liz. 

“I’m not going back, Liz. We..” She looked back at Charley, “we are not going back to another house. I’m done. I can’t do it anymore.”

Liz looked at her, “Grayson, you know there is no other option. You’re not old enough to legally live on your own and take care of Charley. You have to go into another home.”

“I can’t. What if the next time they do permanent damage and I’m never able to play soccer again, or even worse they kill me and Charley is all alone in the system for fifteen more years. I just..” She took a breath and started tearing up. “I just can’t do it anymore. I can’t take it.”

Through the whole time Liz had known Grayson she had never seen her cry even though the horrible situation life had put them in, she had never seen her shed a tear. That’s how Liz knew that she was telling the truth, that she was completely, physically and emotionally done. 

“I have an idea.” Liz said getting out her phone. It probably wasn’t the most ethical but at this point it was necessary. 

Grayson watched her call someone but she couldn’t see who it was. When they didn’t answer Liz hit redial. She ended up having to call them three times before she got an answer. 

“Hellllooo” she heard the sleepy answer on the other end.


	10. Thank you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little bit for you guys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven’t been writing. I just kind of hate it.

Chapter 10 

“Hellllooo” Liz heard the sleepy answer on the other end. 

“Hey, I’m sorry to call so late. I need a favor.” Grayson sat there and listened to one side of the conversation. 

“Liz? What time is it?”

“It’s like 2am but whatever, did you hear me I need a favor?”

“Yeah, I hear you but it’s late. Can’t this wait until tomorrow. I’m kind of sleeping” 

“It can’t wait. I need your help. Something happened to a couple of girls on my caseload tonight and long story short they need a place to stay tonight..” 

Ashlyn sighed, “ Liz, I…”

Liz cut her off. “before you say no, it will only be one night. Please, I’m desperate! These girls..they just..were gonna lose them. If I don’t do something drastic now, I’m gonna lose them. Please, I really need your help.”

“Fine. You can bring them here for the night” she sighed 

“Thank you so much! We’ll be there in like 15 minutes.” 

“Well good because it’s going to take that long for me to convince Al to let them stay here.” 

“Thank you so much! I owe you.” And with that she hung up. 

“So where are we going?” Gray asked 

“You’ll see” Gray looked at her skeptically “I promise this will be good for you guys.”

Gray looked back at Charley sleeping in her car seat. “Fine. Let’s just go.”

—

When they got to the neighborhood Grayson was a little surprised. Even in the dark she could see that this wasn’t just some neighborhood. The houses looked expensive and there was a gate leading into the neighborhood. They definitely did not belong here. 

“Liz what are we doing in this kind of neighborhood? There is no way any of these rich people would take in kids like us.”

Just then they pulled in the driveway to some house. Liz looked over towards Gray. “Kids like what? Kids that have been dealt a tough hand and just need someone to care?”

Grayson just stared out the window of the car. 

“I have a good feeling about this Gray, just trust me. Please?”

“Let’s just get this over with” Gray tried to smile as best as she could. 

Grayson got out and went to the back door of the car to get a sleeping Charley out. As she carried Charley and walked to the door she couldn’t help but feel the tiny bit of hope she had left. 

When they got to the door Liz knocked and gray held her breath. It was only a couple of seconds before a sleepy looking Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger answered the door in their pajamas. 

Grayson was shocked to say the least. She looked at them and then looked at Liz, “Is this supposed to be some kind of sick joke?” She questioned 

Ali and Ashlyn were just as shocked. 

“Let’s head inside and I’ll explain” Liz said. 

They all took a seat in the living room. Grayson refused to put Charley down using her as somewhat of a security blanket. Her thoughts went wild. Were these people talking about her and Charley without their knowledge. She didn’t even know they knew each other and her they are already conspiring against her. 

“Since when do you guys know each other? And why didn’t you tell me?” Grayson asked Liz. 

Liz could tell Gray was a little angry and she knew that it was bound to happen when Grayson found out that she knew Ali and Ash and didn’t tell her. 

“Ash and I grew up together. She’s been my best friend since junior high.”

Grayson was about to interrupt her and ask what she never told her. Especially when she knew how nervous she was to go into camp with all adults. It just would have been nice to know.

“Before any of you guys say anything, I didn’t tell you guys because you all know I have to stay professional. With my job, you know I can’t let my personal life and professional life mix.”

“Wait, you guys didn’t know about this either?” Grayson looked at Ali and Ash

“We’re just as shocked as you.” Ash replied “Liz called and asked for a favor and I agreed because she’s my best friend. We had no idea that you and Charley were the people that needed the help.”

“I just was woken up from a dead sleep and I’m still not quite sure what’s going on” Ali added. “And what happened to your face? Are you okay?”

Grayson suddenly got shy. She totally forgot why they were in this situation in the first place. She hid her face a little bit and looked towards the ground. 

“I hate to rush this and ask but it is already 2:30 in the morning, is it still okay for them to stay here for the night?” Liz looked to Ali and Ash and they nodded. 

“Yeah!” “Of course”

“Are you okay with that Gray” she nodded, her head still angled to the ground. Liz asked her as if Gray really had a choice. 

At that point Ali jumped in, “we made up both guest rooms so you each could have your own. Here, follow me I’ll show you.”

As Ali and Grayson walked off to the guest rooms Ash and Liz stood. Ash enveloped her in a hug, “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me but thank you.” 

“For what” Liz replied.“ I should be thanking you for taking them for the night”

“Ali and I have been beating ourselves up since camp trying to figure out a way to help those girls and this is finally a way we can help”

“Is that why you two suddenly became so interested in my job?”

“Honestly, yeah. We found out what was happening to her at camp but she wouldn’t let us help her. We have been feeling really guilty ever since. We didn’t know that you knew Grayson and Charley directly but we figure the more we knew about the system the more we would be about to help. So thank you.”

Liz just smiled at her friend. “I’ll be back tomorrow to get them after I write up the incident report from tonight and get everything squared away at work.” 

Ash caught something that Liz had said, “incident report?”

Liz just gave Ash a knowing look, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” And with that she was out the door. 

Ashlyn walked up to the other girls who were in the hallway right outside the bedroom when she heard Grayson. 

“Actually, would it be okay with you guys if Charley and I slept in the same room.” Grayson started to ramble not wanting them to think she was ungrateful. “I mean we are totally thankful that you set up both rooms for us but…”

Ali cut her off, “it’s totally okay!” “We just want you guys to feel comfortable here” Ashlyn added. 

They all walked in the room and Gray slid her back pack off her back and went and laid a sleeping Charley in the bed and under the covers. Charley stirred a little and Gray kissed her forehead. At that moment Both adults were reminded how grateful it was to have a sibling that loved and cared for them. They both would be calling and telling their brothers that they loved them the next morning. 

Grayson looked up at Ali and Ashlyn and for the first time tonight they finally saw her face in the bedroom light. Bruises had already started forming, there was dried blood that came from what looked like three different places. It looked like a lot of the blood had been wiped off but you could still tell it had been there. 

When Gray noticed what they were staring at she suddenly felt self conscious and embarrassed. Ali and Ash sensed her discomfort and looked away which kind of just made it worse. Grayson really wanted to get out of the situation but she still needed to work up the courage to ask if she could shower. She still had some blood on her and she really didn’t want to sleep in the bed with it still on her. 

“I know it’s late but Would it be okay if I took a shower?” Grayson asked still embarrassed. 

“Of course, let me get you some clean towels” Ali jumped at the chance to make the girl a little less self conscious. 

Ali gave Gray the towels and and she walked towards the bathroom. 

“We’re going to go back to bed, our room is across from yours if you need anything.” Ash said. 

With that they turned to go their separate ways but before Ali and Ash got all the way to their room they were called back by Gray. 

“Hey!” Grayson called to them. “Thank you” she wanted to say more but she couldn’t. The rest just got stuck


	11. You hurt?

Chapter 11

That night not a lot of sleep came to Grayson. She felt the safest that she had felt since her parents had died but she couldn’t get the images out of her head of what had happened that night. She tossed and turned until a sleeping Charley cuddled up next to her and she fell asleep. 

For Ali and Ash it was a little bit of a different story. 

“I don’t know if I can go back to sleep after that” Ali said after laying in bed and staring at the ceiling for 30 minutes. “I mean you saw her face. Someone intentionally did that to her” 

Ashlyn sighed “I know. And she seemed really embarrassed about it when it’s not even her fault. I.. I just…”

“You wish we could do more?” Ali asked knowing that was how Ash was feeling because she was feeling the same thing. 

“Yeah..”

“Well, we gave them a bed and a safe place to sleep for the night. And tomorrow we can give them a breakfast and food to eat. And then we’ll just go from there.”

“Yeah, we’re doing what we can now and well just go from there tomorrow” Ash replied. “Goodnight, beautiful and thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I want the same things you want. For them to feel safe like I do with you.” Ali replied and gave Ash a goodnight kiss. With that they cuddled together with Ali’s head on Ash’s shoulder and her arm thrown across her stomach and went to bed.

—

Grayson woke up to tiny fingers brushing lightly across her face. 

“Good morning, Leetle.” Gray said with her raspy morning breath then she opened her eyes to the cutest little face and the brightest smile. 

“Good mornin, Gigi.” Charley replied and then he smile dropped. “Are you hurt, Gigi?” She asked pointing at her sister’s face concerned. 

“I’m okay, don’t worry about it.”

She looked at Grayson skeptically but decided to take her answer. “Uhhh, Gigi?”

“Yeah?”

“Where we at?”

“We are at a new house. We came while you were sleeping last night.”

“a’cause you hurt?”

“Yeah.” She didn’t know what else to say. Charley was too smart to lie to but she was just so little. There was no reason she needed to know that the world wasn’t always a good place but because of their situation she saw more of the bad than the good even when gray tried to hide it from her. 

Charley looked around. She saw the light streaming in the window and the clean bed sheets. The house looked good to the 2 and a half year old but even then she knew some things were not always as they seemed. 

“Gigi? We safe here?” She whispered. 

“yeah, we’re safe here. I think I hear someone up already. Are you ready to get up.” 

Charley nodded, “I firsty”

“Okay, let’s get going then” they both got up and exited the room. They walked down the hallway and saw Ali and Ash in the kitchen and looked like they were making breakfast. Once Charley saw the adults she got a little shy and hid behind grays leg. They stood at the edge of the kitchen and silently watched the scene in front of them. Ali and Ash were working around each other sometimes dancing to the low music that was playing sometimes sing along. They both were stealing sweet kisses here and there in aware of the children being in the room. Finally they were spotted. 

“Good morning!” Ali and Ash said at the same time. “How did you sleep?” Ash continued “come on take a seat, we are making pancakes!”

It spooked Charley a little and she hid farther behind her sister. “Good morning, we slept pretty well. Thanks again for letting us stay here last night.” Grayson said a little shyly looking towards the ground. And walking to the bar stools in the kitchen. “Sorry,” She continued “Charley is a little shy with new people.” 

“That’s okay, what would you guys like to drink? We have milk, juice, and water.” Ali said 

“Water is okay with me but you guys don’t have to do all this and go through all this trouble to make breakfast.”

“it’s no trouble at all” Ashlyn waived her off “ it’s just breakfast. What about you charley? What would you like to drink.” Ash ashes Charley when Grayson lifted her up and set her on her own bar stool. Charley looked over at Grayson with pleading eyes. 

“She’ll have water too.” Gray answered for her. Charley buried her face into Grayson. “It’s okay Charley, they’re nice. You can talk out loud. It’s safe I promise.” Gray tried to whisper it but Ali and ash heard it anyway. 

Charley slowly nodded at her still not quite sure if she believed her. Then in her tiny little voice she said “umm, x’use me.” They all looked at her. “Is dat your doggy?” Pointing over to the sliding glass door that Logan had been bagging at to come inside. 

Ali replied walking over to the door to let her in. “Yeah! That our girl, Logan.” 

“Oh she’s a pretty doggy, isn’t she charley?” Gray asked as Logan ran up to them and Charley got down to pet her. “Charley loves dogs!” Logan was licking and showing how excited she was to meet them. 

“It looks like she’s excited to meet you guys” Ash said and then walked around the kitchen island to go and pet Logan to “you’re excited to meet our visitors aren’t you Loggy?” She asked while scratching her ears. 

And there was that word “visitors” it took only a second for Gray to get brought back down to reality. They were visitors. This wasn’t their new home they were just staying for the night. 

They all ate breakfast together. It was peaceful and such a tease. When they finished Grayson thanked them profusely and told them they would be out of their hair as soon as they got their backpack. 

“Wait!” “What” Ali and Ash said at the same time. Grayson and Charley froze and looked at them. 

“You guys aren’t leaving. Liz is coming to get you this afternoon.” Ash said. 

“We don’t want to be a bother we can just meet her somewhere else. We don’t want to ruin your plans for the day.” Grayson replied 

“You guys aren’t ruining anything, today is actually our day off and we have no plans so we can do whatever you guys want?” Ali said

“Yeah, what do you guys want to do today? We'll all hang out. What would you guys do today if it was a normal day? Ashlyn added 

“Well, honestly, if it was a normal day Charley and I would have left when we got up to get out of the house. Then we probably would have walked around a little bit maybe go to the park or something before it was time to go back.” 

In that moment Ashlyn felt terrible. It had been so long since she had been in that position she hadn’t even thought about it. She felt horrible now. But she knew, that’s what it was like to live in a house that felt like a war zone. You left as soon as you woke up and didn’t come back until it was time to go to sleep. 

Ali sensed a concerning vibe from Ashlyn so she cut in. “How about we all have a super chill and relaxing day? We can watch movies, play outside whatever you guys feel like. What do you say?”

Charley was the first one to speak up. “ can we watch Moana. I love Moana!” 

Then it was Ashlyn’s turn “Moana? Are you kidding? I love Moana!” She looked at Ali “Al, tell them that I love Moana!”

“I think they got it Ash!” She laughed 

They all sat down on the couch and got comfy and ready to star the movie. Grayson really didn’t want to ask but she was in a lot of pain. They already had an idea of what had happened last light so she just decided to ask. “Um, before we start the movie.. if it’s not too much to ask.. do you think I could get a bag of ice?” She looked down embarrassingly. 

“Of course!” They both said 

Ali got her a bag of ice and handed it to her “I’m sorry I should have asked you if you needed some. Honestly that looks like it really hurts.” She said pointing to her face. 

“It’s really okay, I’m fine. Thanks for this.” Grayson took the ice, lifted the bottom of her shirt a little, put the ice flat on her stomach and pulled her shirt back down. She relaxed a little into the couch feeling the cold ice do its work. 

Ali and Ash sat there stunned. They didn’t even think about what the rest of Gray body looked like after last night. If she bypassed her face, which honestly looked awful to ice her stomach, they couldn’t even imagine how bad that looked. 

The silence just started to get a little awkward until Charley interrupted then all. “Can we start da movie now?” 

For the next two hours they all sat right there and watched the movie, together.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

After the movie Grayson and Charley asked if they could go into the backyard to play with Logan. Charley loved every dog ever so when it came to Logan it was no different. Gray didn’t really like dogs but there was just something so loving and welcoming about Logan or maybe it was because of how happy she made Charley. Of course Ali and ashlyn said yes. 

That’s how the conversation started. Ali and Ashlyn were staring out the window that looked out over the backyard watching the two sisters run around smiling and laughing with their dog. 

Ashlyn finally spoke up. “Wow, I think that’s the first time I’ve seen then really smile before.” 

“Yeah…” Ali said dejectedly. When that was all she said Ashlyn looked over at her. She could tell that she was thinking about something. 

“I know that look, what are you thinking about.”

Ali just kind of shrugged. 

Ashlyn looked at Ali and then out to where Ali was looking at the girls. She took a breath “fine, you don’t have to tell me but I have a feeling it’s the same thing that I’m thinking.” Ashlyn smirked know how good of a person Ali was. She hides her feelings a lot but Ashlyn knows her and know what she’s got to be thinking about. 

Ali turned to her with wide eye “why? what are you thinking?” She didn’t even give her time to respond before she continued. “We can’t though, people would think that we were crazy. We would be crazy. But I just want them safe. You saw them last night they were so scared and look at them now they’re laughing and smiling. We can help them, we can really, really help them. I just..” She took a breath after her mini rant and looked back out at the girls “so yeah that’s what I was thinking about” she waited for ash to respond. 

There was a little bit of a silence so Ali looked over at Ashlyn to see her still looking out the window, so she continued. “Or maybe we weren’t thinking about the same thing and now you think I’m insane..”

Ash cut her off, “we were thinking about the same thing!” Ashlyn took a breath. “I’m just trying to think through all the logistics in my head… we could do it, ya know? Would people think we’re crazy? Yeah probably but I’ve never really cared what people think of me. Would it be crazy? Hell ya, but you said it yourself. We want them to be safe and that’s what they are here they’re safe.”

“This isn’t something we just jump into though we need to really think about it and really see if this is something we can actually do. This is something that could change life as we know it.” Ali always the rational one said. 

They both looked back out the window at the girls. “You’re right, Liz will be here in two hours. Let’s think about it.” Ashlyn replied as they watched the sisters and Logan walk in the house to get a drink.

So for the next two hours that’s what they did. After Gray and Charley came inside they decided to take a nap. They had a late night and they still didn’t know where they were going next so they thought it would be a good idea to catch-up on sleep while they could. Logan decided that she was tired too and followed them all the way to the bed, jumping up and laying on the end of it. 

After about an hour Ali found Ashlyn standing in the doorway of the guest bedroom. 

“I thought I’d find you here” Ali whispered in Ash’s ear as she walked up and hugged her from behind. She took a moment and looked at the girls. “They all look so peaceful.” 

Ashlyn couldn’t wait any longer to have this conversation. She turned around in Ali’s arms and walked her back into their bedroom across the hall so they wouldn’t wake the girls up. 

As soon as she sat Ali on the bed she couldn’t wait she just blurted it out. “I wanna keep them, I’ve thought about it enough and I wanna keep them. They are safe here and you said it yourself they look peaceful here. I’ve been trying to think about all the logistics and everything and we can work it all out. They can travel to games with us and I just can’t think of any other reason that this wouldn’t work.”

“Ash, take a breath. You don’t have to convince me, okay. Instead of taking my time to think about it, I took my time to do some research. Figuring out what we would have to do for them to be able to stay with us and all that..”

“This is why I love you. What do we have to do?” Ashlyn interrupted. 

“Well we have to get our fostering license which doesn’t look too hard it’s honestly just taking a class. I was surprised at how easy it was. No wonder so many bums do it just for the money... But I was thinking that we both want them to be safe so maybe we could be there last foster home?”

“Wait, what? You wanna..like adopt them? That’s a huge decision that we should probably take more then just one hour to think about. I mean like that our whole life would change and..”

“Ash calm down. What I mean is that we could be there last transition house. Meaning there next house would be when they are getting adopted. Can you imagine how hard it has to be to jump from one house to another. This way we can give them some stability. It’s a real thing, I found it in my research. It happens with a lot of kids and allows them to focus on getting adopted instead of just moving from temporary housing to temporary housing.”

“ I love you. And I love how loving you are and how much you research everything. I think that a great idea.” Ashlyn ended her sentence with a kiss showing Ali just how much she appreciated her. 

—

Grayson woke up when she heard Liz come into the house. She decided to leave Charley sleeping, she would wake up when she was ready and she also didn’t really want Charley to be apart of the conversation that was about to happen. Although Charley never really talked about it Gray knew that moving houses a lot was tough on the little girl. So she quietly tip toed out of the room and walked into the living room to hear their fate. 

When she walked in Ali greeted her. “Hey, you’re up! Liz just got here and I was about to make a late lunch. Are you hungry?”

“I’m okay, thanks though” 

“I’m also thinking about what to make for dinner if you have any suggestions. I don’t know what you and Charley like.”

Grayson was confused. Why would Ali be concerned about what to make for dinner if they weren’t going to be here. 

“Wait.” Gray looked at the adults. “I thought Liz was finding us a place to go.” She looked at Liz. “Did nothing work out?” 

“No, I found you guys a place to go.” Liz said wondering what Ali was talking about too. 

Ashlyn cut in “Actually we wanted to talk to you about that.” Ashlyn motioned them all over to the couch so she could tell them what she and Ali talked about. 

When everyone was ready she continued. “We don’t want you guys to keep having to move from house to house.” She looked at Grayson, she couldn’t look more shocked and She was staring at the ground. 

No one said anything so Ali continued “we thought about it and we want to be your last transition house.”

They looked at Grayson and she just looked defeated. So Ali kept talking. “A transition house is where...”

Gray stopped her. “I know what it is, but you guys don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ashlyn cut in. “No, it’s a real thing Ali looked it up!”

“I know what it is. I know it’s a real thing, but you guys don’t know what your talking about.” With every word gray escalated. Ali and Ash looked confused and Liz just sat there with a knowing look thinking exactly what Grayson was thinking. “A transition house means that we would stay here until Liz found us a permanent house. A house where we would get adopted.” By the end she was almost yelling. “But you don’t understand because Charley and I aren’t getting adopted!”

At that moment Charley walked out of the bedroom and down the hall and heard her sister. Logan followed right behind her. “Gigi?” She said a little bit scared not sure why she sounded so angry. She ran to her sister and climbed on her lap and snuggled into her still fighting her sleepiness. 

“Hey, leetle. Have a good nap?” Charley nodded her head and pushed it farther into Grayson’s chest. 

They all just sat there for a couple of minutes not sure what to say. When Charley woke up a little bit more Grayson asked her to go take Logan outside because it looked like she needed to go potty. Charley get up and excitedly ran over to Logan “c’mon Loggy! Let’s go potty!” And she took the dog outside. The others couldn’t help but smile at the little girl as she went. 

In a calmer voice Grayson started “I’m sorry I yelled but Charley and I aren’t getting adopted no one wants a 15 year old they would probably take Charley but I’m selfish and I’m not willing to give her up. I’ll probably end up aging out of the system. We will be fine. Don’t worry about us we will just go to whatever place Liz found us. 

At that point Liz jumped in “So the place that I’ve got has..”

“No” Ali and Ash said at the same time. 

Liz and Grayson looked at them.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

 

Liz jumped in “So the place that I’ve got has..”

“No” Ali and Ash said at the same time. 

Liz and Grayson looked at them. 

“What do you mean, no?” Liz asked 

Ashlyn looked at Ali. She wasn’t sure what she was thinking but she really hoped it was the same thing as her. “We want them to stay with us.”

“Ashlyn,” Liz said knowing how much it hurts to see children without homes but at the same time trying to get her friend to understand all the responsibilities that came with taking the girls in. 

Ali cut in, “no Liz, we want them. Whatever that entails we will do it.”

“Well okay, if that’s what the both of you want and you’re sure?” Liz asked and waited for confirmation from both of them. 

“Wait” Grayson interrupted “can you guys please stop talking like I’m not here?” It was one of her biggest pet peeves, adults thinking they knew what was best for her and no giving her a say. She had been through more and seen more than any of the three adults in the room yet they still didn’t give her a say. 

“You’re right,” Liz said. “So what do you think about staying here.”

“I think it’s insane.” There was a silence like the only thing that was insane was Grayson not wanting to stay in the best house she’s ever been in. 

Ali cut into the silence. “Why do you that?”

Grayson took a breath. “It’s not that I don’t want to be here. This is the nicest place that Charley and I have ever stayed. It feels like you already love us and we’ve been here for less than 24 hours.”

“We do already love you guys. So why do you think it’s insane?” Ash asked. 

“You guys are just starting your lives together. You’re getting married in December. Why would you want to ruin it with us before it even starts?”

“Ali and I have been together for 10 years.” Ashlyn tried to reason. 

Ali added in “From the very start we knew we both wanted kids.” She grabbed Ash’s hand. “We knew we had to wait because of soccer but having a family was always the goal.”

Ashlyn continued “Did we think that having a family meant having a baby? Yeah, we did but we know now that that is not what it means at all. We want you and Charley. We want to keep you safe. We want you on your good days and your bad days. We want to give you guys a family again.” 

By this point everyone in the room was in tears. Ashlyn and Ali because the family they wanted was flashing right before their eyes. Liz because she had seen both sets of people go through so much. She had seen Ash as a little kid growing up with so much anger about her family then struggling to come out as a teenager thinking that family was one thing she could never have. She had also seen Grayson on the other side. Having a wonderful family and it getting ripped away from her. And she had seen her struggle with realizing that she would never have a family again. 

After pulling herself together Grayson spoke up. “We’ll stay. On one condition, that this is our transitional house.” She looked at Ali and Ash. “I don’t want you guys to be stuck with us forever if it’s not what you want. This way it will give you guys some time.”

“It is what we want” Ali said. 

“You guys is what we want” Ashlyn added. 

At that moment Charley walked back in with a sopping wet Logan. “It was weally hot out dhere, so Logan went in da pool. We was sweating!” 

They all laughed. Charley walked over to Grayson. “Gigi, why’s everybody wooking at me like dat?”

“Well it’s because we wanted to ask you if you would like to stay here for a little while?”

“Wreally, like wreally, wreally?”

“Yeah, like really, really. At least for a little while.” Grayson replied. 

“Loggy! Did you hear that?! I get to stay for a wittle while!” She ran over to the wet dog it give it some hugs.

“So I guess that settles it?” Liz said as she got out some of the paperwork Ali and Ash would need to fill out. 

Ali and Ashlyn took some time and looked over all the papers and everything Liz had for them when they were finally done Liz Charley and Grayson’s file. 

“And this is the last thing, these are their files. They have everything that you need to know in them. This copy of for you guys to read.” Liz went to hand over the copies. 

“Wait” Grayson interrupted “do they have to read those?” She looked a little embarrassed. 

“Do you not want us to?” Ali asked. 

“There is just some things in there that I’m not exactly proud of.”

Ash cut in. “Grayson, we aren’t going to judge you for anything that is in that file.”

“They probably should read them gray” Liz said. “There is some important stuff in there that they will need to know.”

“Yeah, okay..” Grayson sighed “but maybe you don’t have to read them just yet. Maybe just get to know us a little bit before you read them?”

Ashlyn was a little intrigued at what Grayson didn’t want them to read but she knew Gray would share it in time. Ashlyn walked over to Liz and took the files from her. She then walked over to Grayson and handed them to her. “Here you can take them. When your ready, give them to us and Ali and I will read them.”

That’s when Gray knew this house would be different. Ali and Ash would be different then all the others. She could feel it. 

“So, that’s all that I have for you guys. You just have to make sure you go to the foster parent class Ali already signed you guys up for and you should be good. I’m going to go file this paperwork and I’ll be in touch.”

They all said their Thank yous and goodbyes to Liz and she left. 

Ali spoke up. “So how do you guys feel about a celebratory dinner?”

Grayson smiled. Yeah, Gray was right. This house would definitely be different.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The next couple of days they just took time for themselves. They spent time together watching movies and just hanging out. Ali and Ashlyn has canceled their plans with Syd and Alex the last couple of nights because they just wanted the girls to have some time to relax. 

Today was the first day that Ali and Ash would be going to training so when they all sat down for breakfast that day Grayson had some questions she thought it was time to bring up. 

“So since we are going to be staying here for the time being, this is usually when the foster homes tell us there rules so we know what we are supposed to do.”

“Rules?” Ali said confused

“What kind of rules” Ash asked 

“Well like chores and curfews and rules like not wanting us in the house when you aren’t home and” Gray replied before she was cut off. 

“What? Not wanting you here when we’re not home, but this is your house where would you go?”

“Some foster parents don’t like you in their house when they aren’t there so Charley and I would usually go to the park or a coffee shop or something. It’s really not a big deal. We can find some other place to be while you’re at practice.”

“No!” Both adults said at the same time, but Ali continued, “You guys can stay here, or you can go out if that’s what you want but you can also stay here. This is your house too and we want you to feel safe and comfortable no matter what.”

They thought that they had made it clear to the girls that they were safe with them and that they wanted them but this just showed them how much more they would have to do to make them comfortable. 

“Okay.” Grayson answered “what about the other rules” 

“Well” Ashlyn started “I’m not sure, this is kinda new to us. What did you usually do at your house?”

“All the houses were different, some wanted use to clean everyday and others didn’t really care about cleaning at all”

“No, I meant your real house with your parents.” As soon as Ashlyn said it, she regretted it. She could immediately see the hurt in Grayson’s eyes after bringing up her parents. 

Gray looked down and responded quietly “oh.. um.. my sister and I were in charge of unloading the dishwasher. My older sister and I.” 

It was like you could physically see the life drain out of her as she talked about her family. Ali and Ashlyn were in unknown territory. Neither of them had ever lost someone close to them before. Ali had lost her grandma and her grandpa on her dad’s side but she never really saw them or talked to them. And although Ashlyn’s parents were really shitty parents growing up, going in and out of addiction and alcoholism they were still alive. But how do you help someone hurting that bad? They had absolutely no idea. 

Ali cut through the silence. “Well Ash and I usually take turns loading it so unloading it can be your job”

“We also vacuumed, dusted, and wiped the counters down whenever it needed to be done or when..whenever my mom asked us too.”

“Okay, well we have a cleaning Lady comes and dusts and vacuums and all that, but what about the dishwasher and keeping your room clean. When I was a teenager that was the hardest thing in the world for me. No matter what I did I just couldn’t keep my room clean.” Ashlyn said. 

Grayson didn’t want to break it to her that while any normal teenager would have a hard time with that, the girls didn’t have all that much stuff so it probably wouldn’t be that hard of a task. So she just nodded her head to agree. 

“What’s next on the list? Curfew?” Ali asked

“Wait” Charley spoke up they had almost forgotten she was there. They thought she wasn’t even listening. “What’s my chores? She asked. 

“Umm, let’s see” Ali looked around the house trying to find something that the little girl could do. Then she saw Logan’s toy laying on the ground. “Ooo, how about your chore is picking up Logan’s toys that he leaves laying on the floor and putting them in the toy basket by his bed?”

“Yeah!! That’s a great chore Ali!” Charley cheered and it brought a smile to everyone’s face. They had never seen someone so happy to have a chore in there life. 

Ali tried moving the conversation on because they were cutting it close to the time they had to leave for practice. “So what did your curfew used to be? I know when I was younger mine was midnight and then 1am once I got older.”

“Mine was around 1ish too, but I never really followed it because I knew my grandma and grandpa would already be asleep by the time I got home.” Ash added and then they both looked at Grayson to get her input. 

“Oh um, well I didn’t have one. My two older siblings were trouble so my parents tried to keep them on a tight leash. But when it got time for me to get a curfew they trusted me more than them. So as long as I told them where I was and about what time I was coming home they were okay with it. I never stayed out that late and always made sure I called them to pick me up at a respectable time in they were driving me, so yeah they didn’t really care.”

“Okay..” Ash said. 

“But that’s not what you guys have to do, my parents just knew me and trusted me. I realize that is like super rare and you guys don’t even really know me yet so why would you have that kind of trust in me.”

Ali interrupted her rant. “I think that would be okay and then if we need to we can reevaluate when the time comes. Ash?”

“Yeah, I think that would be okay.” Ash responded, she laughed “how cool were you parents, no curfew. I would have loved growing up in your house.” As soon as it came out she knew she shouldn’t have said it. The room was silent no one really knowing what to say after that. Yeah Grayson would have loved to still be growing up in her parents house too but that wasn’t an option. 

“Shoot, we have to go Or we are going to be late.” Ali said. “Are you sure you and Charley are going to be okay?” 

“Yeah, we’ll be fine.” She looked at Charley. “We promise not to burn down the house, right Charley?”

“Yeah,” Charley replied “we promise not to burn it down!”

—-

Ali and Ash’s drive to practice was quite. They were stuck in their own heads just thinking as they passed the cars on the highway. 

Halfway through the ride Ali grabbed her phone and started typing. 

“What are you up to?” Ashlyn asked.

“I was just texting my parents and Kyle to tell them that I love them. I don’t think I tell them enough.” Ali answered. 

“And after talking to Gray this morning it made you realize that they could be gone tomorrow?”

“Yeah, it just puts a lot into perspective, you know. There is no way that I could have gone on with my life if I had lost them. Especially if I had lost them at 15.”

“Yeah.” Ash said. “I texted Chris and my grandparents on my way out of the house. I can tell she’s still hurting and she has every right to be. I could tell when I brought up her parents. I could see it in her eyes.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too.”

“If it was me I think I’d be hurting for the rest of my life. I just want her to know that she can always come to us. If it’s to talk or not talk or whatever I just want her, I want both of them to know that we are there for them no matter what.”

“I think that we just have to tell them that. I can tell that they are still guarded from being in such a bad situation before I think that we just need to tell them that and show them that and just keep doing it until they actually believe us. 

When they pulled into the parking lot Ashlyn parked the car and looked over at Ali. “You’re right, that’s what we will do and we will keep doing it until they really believe us.”


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Practice went really well. The team was really starting to gel and come together. Ali and Ash got in the car to drive home. After a few minutes of driving in the silence ash looked over to Ali for a second before she focused back on the road. 

“Hey,” Ash said. “I love you too, you know?” Thinking back to their conversation they had about texting their loved ones. “ And there is no way I would be able to live if you were suddenly taken from me.” Ash wanted to say more but she started tearing up just thinking about it. 

“I love you too, Ash. There would be no way that I could go on with life if something happened to you.”

The car ride turned emotional quickly and in order to change it Ashlyn reached over and grabbed Ali’s hand while making a joke. “Oh, I know you told me last night after that amazing orgasm I gave you.” She chuckled and braced for the slap in the arm she was about to get. 

“Oh really? Because I don’t remember being able to say anything with your hand over my mouth.”

“I’m sorry. You were being loud and we had two kids in the room across the hall!”

“Honestly, it was kinda hot.” Ali smirked 

“Really? You liked that?”

“You fucking me with your hand over my mouth so we didn’t wake up our kids? Yeah, that’s really fucking hot.”

Ashlyn didn’t respond she just laughed thinking about how Ali said “our kids”

Ali looked over at Ash “You know when I was in Germany, and you were over here and I was missing you a lot, I would think about our future. And thats what I imagined.”

“What? Me fucking you?”

Ali smiled, “I’m not joking Ash. I imagined this. Us. Being so in love with you that I can’t keep quiet and risk waking up the kids. Sure, I imagined them being babies and being harder to wake up and having more time to practice but this.. this feels right and it’s what I always imagined. 

Ashlyn pulled into their driveway and shut off the engine. She turned to Ali and pulled her into a searing kiss. “I love you so much, Ali. There are no words.” She kissed her again. “Thank you for imagining that kind of future with me. I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure that it stays that way.”

—

When Ali and ash walked in the house they didn’t hear anything. They walked to the back of the house and saw that the girls were outside. Grayson was sitting on the grass looking out over the backyard and Charley was doing what she always was, running around with Logan. 

Ali walked into the kitchen to get some water. “Oh hey, I forgot to tell you I talked to Alex and told her that we couldn’t meet her and Syd tonight.”

“Oh yeah? How’d that go?”

“Definitely not the best. Haha. I think that they are starting to take it personally.”

“Well, I mean we have canceled on them the last 3 nights in a row. We’re gonna tell them what’s going on eventually I just want a couple more days of just us. Plus we have to tell our family first.”

“Which we planned on doing this afternoon. Remember. We can’t forget.”

“Yeah, I know. I got it.” Ashlyn said walking out of the house into the backyard. She was walking towards Grayson when Charley ran up to her. 

“You’re back!” She cheered. 

“Yeah, we’re back” Ashlyn smiled 

“Umm..Can I have some water please?” Charley asked shyly. 

“Of course, Ali’s in the kitchen. She’ll get you some if you go in and ask her.”

As Charley skipped into the house to ask Ali for water she noticed that Grayson didn’t move at all during her conversation with Charley. She just looked out over the backyard like she was in a trance. 

“Hey” Ashlyn said to get her attention. 

“Hey!” She said louder when Grayson didn’t budge.  
When she raised her voice Gray jumped and wiped her eyes. 

“Hey.” She said back to Ashlyn trying to hide the fact that she was crying.

It was no use Ashlyn had already noticed. “Are you okay?” She asked. 

“Yeah, I’m good” Gray cleared her throat hoping that it at least didn’t sound like she was crying. 

Ashlyn sat down next to her. “You know we can do the whole thing where I ask you what’s wrong and you say nothing even though I know it’s not nothing so then I ask you again and it just goes on and on until you finally tell me what’s wrong or we can skip all that and you can just tell me what is wrong.”

Grayson was quite so Ashlyn stayed quiet too. After a couple of minutes gray finally whispered looking out over the creek behind the yard. “I miss my parents” it’s not that she didn’t appreciate what Ashlyn and Ali were doing for them but she just missed them. She missed feeling the comfort and love they brought into her life. 

Ash didn’t know what to say. She decided to just let the words come from her heart. “I can’t even imagine what it would feel like to be in your position right now and I’m not going to pretend I know anything about what you’re feeling. But I just need you to hear me out for one minute. Whatever you are feeling it’s okay to feel it. It’s okay to think about it and them and it’s okay to talk about what happened and talk about them. And when that all gets too much for you to handle by yourself you can come to me or Ali and you can talk about it with us.” She paused for a second and then continued. “I know you're trying really hard to fight us on it but we care about you and Charley and we are going to continue to care whether you want us to or not so you might as well just accept it.”

That sat there side by side for a couple of minutes in silence just looking at the creek until Grayson quietly leaned her head over and laid it on Ashlyn’s shoulder.  
And In the tiniest voice Ashlyn had ever heard Gray whispered “thank you”

—-

They sat there for about 10 minutes until they heard glass shatter and Charley scream. They both ran inside to see what had happened. 

Charley was huddled in the corner crying. Grayson ran straight for her. Charley had her hands over her head like she was trying to protect herself. She sat down next to her and pulled her into her lap whispering in her ear that she was okay. As she looked around the room to find out what happened. 

There was water and a shattered glass all over the floor. She looked over at Ali, who just looked completely stunned and didn’t know what to do or how to move. Ashlyn picked up on her fiancé shock and discomfort and walked around the mess to get to her. 

“Al, what happened are you okay? Is she okay?”

“I don’t know, we were just sitting here talking and I made her laugh and she accidentally dropped her glass. She was in the corner like that before I could even say anything.” She started walking towards Charley so Ash followed too. 

Now Grayson understood what was going on. In all the other foster homes they had been in spilling something was a punishable feat. But breaking something, even worse. She had broken a glass before at a foster home which ended with a pretty bad black eye for Gray. In Charley’s mind there was a reason for her to be terrified. 

Grayson was just getting Charley to calm down when Ali and ash sat down on the floor in front of the sisters. 

“It’s okay Charley. It was just an accident. Nothing is gonna happen it was just an accident.”

Charley replied sobbing “But I broked it.” She looked at Ali and Ashlyn “please don’t hurt us”

Ali lifted her hand to rub Charley’s back and tell her it was okay but when she brought her hand up both of them flinched. When Charley flinched she dug herself deeper into Grayson’s arms and when Grayson flinched she pulled Charley further away from the adults. Ali froze for a second but then decided it was best if she continued and showed them that she was just trying to comfort the little girl. 

She started to rub Charley’s back. “It’s okay Charley, it was just an accident. We would never hurt you.”

Charley turned her head towards Ali so she could see her out of the corner of her eye and see if she was telling the truth. 

Ashlyn chimed in. “Never ever,ever.” 

Charley looked at them and then looked at her big sister. “It’s different here, Charley. They’re not going to hurt us.”

“Even if I breaked somefing?” Charley sniffled. 

“Yeah, even if you break something. They might be a little upset depending on what it is but they won’t hurt us.”

“I break things all the time and Ali still loves me.” Ashlyn interjected. 

Charley looked at Ali “you still love her when she breaks fings?”

“Yep, I do. She is more important than all the things to me. And so are you guys.”

They all just sat there on the floor for a little bit longer to let Charley calm down. 

“Did you guys have fun when we were gone?” Ashlyn asked Charley. 

“Yeah, I helped Gigi practice her soccer for a wittle bit and then we played with Logan.”

“Oh my gosh, Grayson. Soccer. It totally slipped my mind you probably need to go and train and stuff. Are you on like a team? Do you train with a coach or something. We never even asked.”

“Uhh…I usually just train anywhere with a ball. It’s hard to be on a team when you’re moving around a lot and coaches are kind of expensive. I usually just train with a ball and then I use the field at the park when I can. Umm.. I found a ball in the garage. I'm sorry I should have asked before I used it.”

“No you’re totally okay, we have like a hundred balls in the garage you can use whatever you need.” Ashlyn assured her. 

“There’s also some open fields by our training facility. Maybe you can come and use one of those while we have practice. And when Ash and I have our private workout sessions you can come?”

“Really?” Gray asked surprised “that would be so awesome.” 

“Yeah, of course.” Ash said. 

“You’re playing at the highest level you need to train like you’re at the highest level. I’m sorry we never even thought about it.” Ali added. 

Charley cut in, “Ali?” She asked shyly “I’m sorry about your glass. Can I help clean it up?”

Ashlyn cut her off “you don’t have to clean it up, Charley. I’ve got it. I don’t want you to cut yourself.”

“But I broked it. I gotta help.”

“Okay how about you can hold the bag open so I can put all the sharp glass in?”

“I can do that. I’m a really good helper.”

They all smiled and started to stand up. Ali added “then I think I need a chill movie day with all my girls for the rest of the day. How does that sound to you guys?” 

They all nodded. “Charley and I will pick up the glass and make the popcorn. You guys get the blankets and get the Netflix all booted up. Ready, brake!” With that they all went to get their jobs done.

Yeah Grayson thought I think we’re gonna like it here


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

 

They all sat there cuddled up under multiple blankets watching the movie. Ali and Ash were on both sides with the girls in the middle. 

When the first movie ended Ali spoke up. “So Ash and I were talking the other day and thought that we could tell our families about you guys today. If that’s okay with you?”

“Uhh, what do you mean?” Grayson asked. 

“Well we were just waiting a couple of days to make sure you guys got acquainted and everything before we told them because they can be a little much sometimes.”

“But if you’re not ready we can wait.” Ash added. “It’s all up to you guys.”

“But my mom is coming for the game on Sunday so if we don’t tell her by then she will probably be a little butt hurt when she gets here and meets you guys. But if your really not ready I can ask her not to come to the game.” Ali said. 

“No! It’s okay, you can tell them but..”

“But what?” Ash asked. 

“But are you sure you guys are ready?”

Ali was confused “why wouldn’t we be ready?”

“Well, once you tell them, I guess it just kinda makes this real. Before you tell them are you sure you guys want us.” Gray asked warily. 

“Oh my gosh” Ash said rolling her eyes and laughing. “Are we on this again? We want you guys okay. We. Want. You.”

Ali added. “I swear one day we are going to find something to make you believe us.”

“I do believe you. I’m sorry.” Gray looked down. 

Ash grabbed her hand. “Hey, it’s okay. We are just messing with you. You’ve been through a lot, we understand. Take your time but just know that we are always going to want you guys.” 

Grayson could feel it. She was looking into Ashlyn’s eyes and she could see it was the truth. 

“So how are you going to tell them?”

“Wait, really? You want us too?” Ali asked excitedly. 

“Yeah, I mean if you want to go for it.” 

“Oh my gosh, yes! Okay. So I was thinking that we could just send a picture of all of us to our family group chats and then we can field all the calls and explain.” Ali set up her phone camera on a timer we’re the tv was then she walked back over to her spot on the couch and got under the blankets. “Say cheese!” 

“Okay now we need to do a funny one!” Ashlyn said. They all made funny faces and even Logan got in on the pictures laying on the couch with them. Ali walked over and got her phone. She first sent the pictures to Ashlyn and then quickly set the pictures as her background. 

“Okay so what are we saying when we send the pictures?” Ashlyn asked. 

“I don’t know, I didn’t think that far ahead.” 

“Okay well let’s see, ‘we are so excited for you to meet the new additions to our family’?”

“Are you serious?” Grayson interrupted and laughed “why are you being so formal? I thought you were talking to your family.” 

They all started laughing “she’s right Ash, that sounds a little uptight.” 

“Well I’m sorry I don’t know the correct way to introduce my family to my kids.” Ash said faking offense. “I don’t see anyone else offering up any other ideas.” 

Grayson spoke up, “What about ‘This is Grayson and Charley, they’re going to be staying with us for awhile.’ And then when they call you can explain what’s going on. I think it would just be easier for you guys that way.”

“I like it. It’s Simple. Good with me, how about you Ash?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Ali and ash counted down together “three, two, one. And send.”

Ali continued, “I give Kyle two minutes.” 

Ashlyn laughed, “No way it’s gonna take him that long.” Just then Ali’s phone started ringing. Kyle was FaceTiming. “I knew it!” Ash said as her phone started blowing up with texts from her family. 

“Hey Ky.” Ali said as she accepted the call. 

“Alexandra Blaire Krieger soon to be Harris, you have about five seconds to explain before I start flipping.”

“Kyle, this is Grayson and Charley” she turned the camera to show the girls. Gray and Charley shyly waved at the camera. 

“Hey guys!” Kyle waved “So are you gonna explain what’s going on?” Just then Ali’s phone beeped with an incoming call from Ali’s mom. Ali quickly sent her a text that she would call her back in a couple of minutes. 

“Sorry I just had to text mom real quick.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. So..”

“So, these are Logan’s new sisters and I think that makes them your new nieces.” 

Kyles screamed for a solid minute and Charley got scared curling herself into Grayson and hiding under the blankets.

“Kyle. KYLE!” Ali tried to calm him. “Your gonna have to calm yourself. You’re scaring them.”

“Sorry, sorry. I’ll get a grip.” 

Ali finally got a chance to explain everything that happened the last four days. She finally got Kyle to hang up after promising that he would get to meet them when the national team goes to California next month and then called her mom back. It was much of the same. When she finally finished talking to them Charley spoke up and asked to watch another movie. No one could deny her because they all honestly loved the family time.

—-

They were halfway through the movie when they heard someone come in the back door. 

“No way did you guys bail on us to stay home and watch a movie.” It was Syd and Alex they walked over from Syds since they were neighbors. 

They saw Ashlyn and Ali’s heads pop up from the other side of the couch and then they saw two other heads pop up afterwards. 

Syd spoke up. “Oh sorry, we didn’t mean to interrupt and your cars were the only ones in the driveway and you guys canceled on us three days in a row, so really you should be the ones apologizing.” She looked at the with a smirk.

By then Alex had noticed who the extra heads belonged to. “Hey Grayson, what are you guys doing here?”

No one really knew what to say so Ashlyn spoke up. “Uhh, hey guys. Syd, this is Grayson and her little sister Charley. Guys” she looked at Charley and Grayson still on the couch, “this is Sydney Leroux and you already know Alex.”

“Yeah, thanks Ash but we don’t live under a rock. I know who Sydney Leroux is.” Grayson tried to lighten the mood because it was a little awkward. 

“Hahah, I like her” Syd said and everyone else started laughing. 

“I didn’t know you guys were friends?” Alex asked, thinking that it was a little weird the the 15 year old was spending time with Ali and Ashlyn. 

Ali spoke up. “Actually Grayson and Charley live here now.” She didn’t know how to word it without it being weird or their friends getting hurt because they didn’t tell them. Everyone else was just silent. 

“Wait, what? Alex asked. 

“I’m so lost.” Syd added. 

“Well, it sounds like you guys have a lot to talk about.” Grayson said. She was looking for an out and it finally presented itself. She was supposed to go to Poppy’s coffee shop to play some music tonight but she didn’t want to break up the good family time they were having. Now that they were interrupted she found her out. “So Charley and I are gonna go out for a little bit and we will be back later.”

“Wait, where are you going?” Ashlyn questioned. 

“Were just going out. It’s not a big deal. We’ll be back later.” It’s not that Gray was trying to keep it from them it just made her feel embarrassed and didn’t wanna share anything she didn’t have to. 

“If it’s not a big deal why won’t you tell us we’re you’re going? Or we could talk about that curfew rule again.” Ali added.

“No need for a curfew we’ll be back by 8:30.” Gray secretly loved how much they actually cared. She looked at Ali and then at Ashlyn. They both had the same look on there face. The default upset parent look. “Geez okay fine but everybody needs to like get going now or we’re gonna be late.” She looked back at them “You guys haven’t even been parents for a week and you’ve already got the look.” She rolled her eyes, smiled and headed to the car with Charley. The adults followed behind. Two of them proud of themselves but wondering where they were going and two of the so confused about what they just walked into.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic. If you have any suggestions, comments or questions they are greatly appreciated. 
> 
> You can also contact me on tumblr @krashlynisbae 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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